[color=#202124]I have been reading about the Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04, and I noticed that it focuses a lot on a gaseous medium (by air) to emit the waves and calculate the distance, my question is.
Can I apply this to a solid medium, that is, if I leave it in contact with a wall, these waves propagate through this medium and I can calculate the thickness of the wall?
[pre]In case of not being able to perform it, is there another ultrasound sensor for Arduino that can perform this function?
[pre]
I am looking forward to your response.
Thank you
Ultrasonic distance detectors work by measuring the time it takes for an ultrasonic pulse to travel to an object, be reflected, and return to the sensor. So in order for your idea to work, the pulse would have to be reflected from the far side of the wall. This could possibly be made to work in a few very well defined cases, but as Paul_KD7HB indicated, walls vary hugely in their construction (solid or hollow, sometimes containing internal structure such as beams or reinforcing, etc). Doesn't seem very feasible to me.
S.
Ultrasound is routinely used to find things like hollows, or cracks in steel constructions.
Walls, even concrete ones, tend to be porous and full of small voids. They are also often made up of multiple layers of material: e.g. a concrete core with layers of finishing material on both sides.
Thanks guys for your advice, now I can be sure that it is more feasible to use it from a distance, because I must measure the thicknesses of large pipes and if that method works with more uniform surfaces, then it is preferable not to.
Thank you again for your responses.