Wide-Angle Acoustic Beam Steering with Arrays of PiezoCrystal Tonpilz Transducers

This SBIR Phase I Proposal addresses the need for a wide-angle beam steering array with piezoelectric single crystal Tonpilz transducers. The objective is to design, build and test a sub-array of piezoelectric single crystal Tonpilz SONAR transducers that can be steered over large angles with high directivity and low side lobe levels. These objectives will be accomplished through not only experimental but also theoretical means. Critical issues to be addressed include: element uniformity in large-scale production, array mounting structure that prevents element-to-element crosstalk, and minimizing the effect of coupling of elements through the medium itself. In this proposal we discuss these critical issues and will investigate possible means for minimizing adverse effects on array performance. In addition to analytical analysis and array interaction programs, finite element modeling will also be used in conjunction with the fabrication and evaluation of a sub-array of Tonpilz single crystal transducer elements.