An ultrasonic device to measure surface displacements of water and floating bodies

Non-intrusive measuring instruments are desirable tools to investigate the response of vessels or marine structures subjected to water waves, whether in a laboratory or in the field. An ultrasonic sensing device is designed and built to measure surface displacements of a floating body. An ultrasonic sensor can sense any surface that lies in front of it, whether it is a solid or a liquid surface. In this study, a specialized electronic circuit board is designed to measure a wide range of surface displacements. The proposed system not only can be used to measure heave, surge, and pitch of a floating body continuously but also it can act as a water waveform recording instrument. The proposed ultrasonic measuring device is far more accurate than the current standard instruments (e.g. potentiometers) based on the simple fact that the measured surface is not disturbed. Furthermore, this device is of low manufacturing cost and has a practical size that renders it suitable for a broad range of applications. Hence, it can be used in a laboratory setup as well as in conducting field tests.