Capped ceramic underwater sound projector: The “cymbal” transducer

Abstract

A new type of transducer has been developed for use as a shallow-water sound projector at frequencies below 50 kHz. Dubbed the “cymbal,” it is similar to the more commonly known “moonie” and class V ring/shell flextensional designs. Prototype cymbal arrays 2 mm thick with a radiating area of 11.4 cm2 have been developed and calibrated. Two mounting schemes have been examined: unpotted (oil-filled) and potted in a 5-mm thick layer of stiff polyurethane. In both cases, a transmitting response comparable to the more widely used Tonpilz transducer (with an equivalent radiating area) is attainable. When tested under hydrostatic pressures, a standard cymbal configuration has been shown to withstand exposures of 2.5 MPa (which corresponds to 250 m of water depth) before failure.

Materials for High Performance Cymbal Transducers

“…E-mail: euzgur@mmf.mm.anadolu.edu.tr transmitting voltage response (TVR), source level (SPL) and drive limits. Each application carries its own requirements for effective performance [5]. This paper provides details on the materials selection process.…”

The radial composite piezoelectric ceramic transducer

“…Here, 12 )) and N 31 is the electro-mechanical conversion coefficient of a thin piezoelectric ceramic ring in radial vibration. V 3 = E 3 h is the voltage applied to the piezoelectric ring.…”

“…In the last decades, some new flextensional vibrational mode transducers and actuators named as moonie and cymbal transducers are developed [11][12][13][14][15]. In the moonie or cymbal transducers, a piezoelectric ceramic thin disk polarized in its thickness direction is sandwiched between two metal caps which can take different shapes.…”

Pb(Ni1/3Sb2/3)O3-PbZrTiO3 Ceramic Sensors for Underwater Transducer Application

“…Over large distances, acoustic energy is the single most effective source for communication in underwater systems like SONAR, passive sonobouy, homing torpedo, and towed arrays 1 . Hydrophone is a device used as a passive sensor to listen or pick up the underwater acoustic energy.…”