Solid State Converted Piezoelectric High Power Acoustic Source

The objective of this program is to develop and test designs for a high power acoustic source using solid-state-converted, 1-3 piezoelectric composite material. The solid-state-converted (SSC) material is a highly oriented piezoelectric that displays thehigh strain/high coupling characteristics of expensive melt-grown single crystals. A subscale transmit array will be fabricated and tested to characterize the transducer design and the performance of the SSC material. Based on the Phase I modeling results,an increase of 5 dB in source level and a 15% increase in bandwidth is expected over conventional 1-3 piezocomposite transducer materials.BENEFITS: Solid-state-converted piezoelectric composite is a new high strain/high coupling transducer material whichcan enhance sonar performance in several ways. The high strain capability enables higher source levels to be achieved in projector applications. Conversely, the size and weight of a given projector can be decreased or the drive voltage reduced withoutpenalizing source level. The material's high electro-mechanical coupling and low mechanical quality factor (Q) results in increased transducer bandwidth and efficiency. Greater bandwidth improves array resolution and image quality in mine hunting and seafloor mapping sonars and also extends functionality to lower frequencies which are difficult to cover with traditional materials. The SSC material also has a very high dielectric constant which reduces cable losses and improves transducer signal to noiseratio. Demonstration of improved sonar performance on an existing Navy platform will facilitate these transition of the SSC materials into other applications that have requirements which cannot currently be met using conventional materials.