pressureradius

Pressureradius is a conceptual term used in disciplines that study pressure fields, such as acoustics, fluid dynamics, and elastodynamics. It denotes the effective distance from a pressure source over which the pressure perturbation meaningfully influences the surrounding medium. In practice, pressureradius is defined with respect to a reference pressure and a chosen criterion for “meaningful influence,” such as an overpressure or a specific fraction of ambient pressure.

Mathematically, pressureradius Rp can be described by the relation p(r) = p_ref or Δp(r) = p(r) − p_ambient, where p(r) is the pressure at distance r from the source and Δp(r) is the overpressure. Rp is the distance at which this condition is met. In a simple isotropic model for a point source in an ideal medium, pressure may scale approximately as p(r) ∝ 1/r, which yields Rp ≈ A/Δp_threshold for a chosen threshold Δp_threshold. Real media introduce attenuation, reflections, and boundary effects, so Rp depends on material properties, frequency, geometry, and environmental conditions.

Applications of the concept include assessing the spatial reach of an acoustic or hydraulic source, informing safety limits in medical ultrasound and industrial testing, and helping model how far a pressure signal propagates in fluids, soils, or solids. Measurement typically involves pressure sensors or hydrophones arranged at varying radii, complemented by numerical simulations to account for complex propagation and boundary interactions.

See also: pressure field, radius of influence, diffusion length.