Generation and Propagation of Finite‐Amplitude, Rounded, Inverted Sawtooth Waves in Air

This paper treats a problem of finite‐amplitude wave propagation in which a properly distorted wave becomes undistorted during the first stages of propagation and then again becomes distorted during later stages of propagation. A theoretical description of the waveform is given in terms of the amplitudes of the fundamental and of the second, third, and fourth harmonics as functions of propagation distance. Also provided is a theoretical estimate of the distance of propagation that is required for a properly distorted wave to become an undistorted sinusoidal wave. Experimental measurements on waves of frequency 444 Hz in an air‐filled traveling‐wave tube 2.66 cm in diameter and 18 wavelengths long corroborate the theoretical predictions for peak acoustic pressures from 0.001 to 0.015 bar.