Described and illustrated is an ultrasonic flowmeter (1) comprising a measuring tube (2), a first ultrasonic
transducer (3), a second ultrasonic
transducer (4), and a control and evaluation unit (5), wherein the first ultrasonic
transducer (3) and the second ultrasonic transducer (4) are arranged axially offset on the measuring tube (2), wherein the first ultrasonic transducer (3) is configured at least as an
ultrasonic actuator (6), wherein the second ultrasonic transducer (4) is configured at least as an
ultrasonic sensor (7), wherein, in the operating state of the ultrasonic flowmeter (1), the control and evaluation unit (5) controls the
ultrasonic actuator (6) such that a guided ultrasonic wave (9) is excited in the measuring tube (2) through which a fluid (8) flows.wherein the
ultrasonic sensor (7) receives the guided ultrasonic wave (9) and the control and evaluation unit (5) determines a flow velocity (v) of the fluid (8) by evaluating the received guided ultrasonic wave (9). An advantageous excitation of guided
ultrasound waves is achieved by having at least the
ultrasound transducer (3) designed as an
ultrasound actuator (6) have several excitation structures (10) in the axial direction of the measuring tube (2), wherein the excitation structures (10) are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the measuring tube (2), wherein ultrasound
waves are fed into the measuring tube (2) through which the fluid flows by means of the excitation structures (10), so that a wave pattern of at least one predetermined
wave mode (m_det) of the guided
ultrasound wave (9) is excited in the measuring tube (2) through which the fluid (8) flows, spatially distributed in the axial direction of the measuring tube (2).