Presented at the COMSOL Conference 2010 Boston

A Directional Dogbone
Flextensional Sonar
Transducer
COMSOL Conference 2010
Boston, MA
7-9 Oct 2010
Stephen C. Butler
Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Newport, RI 02841 USA

Page 1

Introduction

Sonar transducers are electro-acoustic devices used for transmitting

and receiving acoustic energy for the purpose of detection and location
of underwater objects.

In order to transmit energy in one direction, sonar Class IV flextensional

transducers are combined into arrays of elements that are spaced a 1/4
wavelength apart. The directionality (front-to-back pressure ratio) in
practice is a modest 6 dB due to diffraction.

A new class of transducer the Directional dogbone flextensional

transducers which generates cardioid beams could replace these dual
line array. This will reduce weight, cost and increase front-to-back ratio
greater than 20 dB.

COMSOL with Acoustics Module is used to predict in-water electroacoustic performance and is compared with experimental data.
COMSOL is then used to calculate the complex drive coefficients used
to drive the transducer into the directional mode.

Page 2

Sonar uses Transmitted and Reflected Sound

Waves to Locate Underwater Objects

HYDROPHONES
PROJECTORS
REFLECTED
WAVE
TRANSMITTED
WAVE

OBJECT

Page 3

Two Line Arrays and Planar Arrays of Projector Elements

that are Several Wavelengths Long and Spaced a 1/4
Wavelength Apart.
Direction
of Beam

Direction
of Beam

/4
a) Two Line Arrays

/4
b) Two Planar Arrays

Page 4

Modeled Beam Patterns for Two sources spaced a 1/4

wavelength apart with one of the sources driven 90 degrees
out of phase with the other sources, a) for Point Source
Element and b) Real Case Flextensional Elements.
Range

Range

30 dB

30 dB

40 dB

50 dB

50 dB

-5

-5

-10

-10

-15

270

-15

90

/4

180

Back is an ideal Null

a) Ideal Case

40 dB

Beam Pattern

Beam P

0dB ref = 0 dB re. uPa @ 1m

0dB ref

-3dB BeamWidth = 179.82 Deg.

270
DI = 3 dB

90

-3dB Be

DI = 4.9

/4

180

Front/Back = 6 dB
b) Real Case

caused by diffraction
Page 5

Synthesis of a Directional Flextensional

Omni
1

cos()

90
120

120

0.5
0

210

330
240

300
270

a) Omni

120

d(0 )

180

30

150

30

0.5
0

0.5

210

0
330

240

1.2

60
1

150

30

90

1.2

60
1

180

[1+cos()]1/2

90

1.2

60

150
o( )

True Cardioid

Dipole

300
270

b) Dipole

F(0 )

180

210

330
240

300
270

c) Cardioid

An other way to generate a directional cardioid Beam

Page 6

Two Line Arrays of Projector Elements that are Several

Wavelengths Long and Spaced a 1/4 Wavelength Apart
Replaced by One Line Array of Directional Dogbone
Transducers

/4

a) Conventional
two lines
F/B < 15 dB

b) Directional
one line
(Replacement)
F/B > 20 dB
Page 7

Class IV Flextensional Transducer and

Class VII Dogbone Flextensional Transducer

a) Class IV Flextensional

b) Class VII Flextensional

Page 8

Model Verification
Procedure
Validate COMSOL Model with Measured
Results of a standard Omni Mode Dogbone
Flextensional Sonar Transducer
Then predict the directional operation mode

Page 9

Class VII Dogbone Flextensional Sonar Transducer,

a) Shell and Ceramic Stack and b) Encapsulated

a) Shell and Ceramic Stack

b) Encapsulated

Page 10

COMSOL Stack a) Subdomain Settings and b) Boundary

Settings for Piezo Plane Strain (smppn) application and c)
Electric Potential and Field Arrows results

x
a) Subdomain Settings

b) Boundary Settings

c) Electric Potential and Field Arrows

Page 11

Electrical Input Impedance

Integrate Displacement Current Density for Input Current
IU =-(up(Jdy_smppn))*z

Current into upper plate

ID =-(down(Jdy_smppn))*z

Current into down plate

Admittance is:

Y=1/Z

Z = Impedance

Y =I/V=abs(ID)+abs(IU)

Magnitude

G= real(ID)-real(IU)

Real Part

B= imag(ID)-imag(IU)

Imaginary Part

For V = 1

Capacitance is: B/
C= (imag(ID)-imag(IU))/(2*pi*freq)
Page 12

Piezoelectric Stack
In-air Admittance Magnitude Response
Measured (____) and COMSOL Modeled (oooo)
Y

10

Y (S)

0.1

0.01

0.001

0.0001

0.00001
0

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

Frequency (kHz)

Page 13

COMSOL Fluid, Shell and Stack

Subdomain Settings and Boundary Settings for
Pressure Acoustics (acpr) application

a) Subdomain Settings

b) Bounda

Blue - Water fluid two wavelength at 3 kHz

Yellow - PML one wavelength
Mesh 16312 Triangular Element

Page 14

Sound Pressure Level

COMSOL SPL is given by,
2

SPL 10 log10 ( pp* 2 pref )

pref = 1 Pa for Water

2 in denominator indicates pressure is a peak value,

Therefore Voltage Potential on transducer should be a peak value V = 1.414
The more common form of SPL in terms of rms pressure is given by,

SPL 20 log10 ( prms pref )

Transmit voltage response for 2-D model is given by,

TVR = SPL-10log10(1/h)-10log10(1/r)

dB ref 1Pa/Vrms at 1m

h is the transducer height in the z-direction

r is the radial distance pressure point
Page 15

Transmit Voltage Response

Measured (____) and COMSOL Modeled (oooo)
28-Aug-96 11:53:04

Transmit Voltage Response Stave Side

160

TVR (dB re. 1uPa/V@1m)

150

140

130

120

110
0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Frequency (Hz)

Page 16

In-water Conductance Response

Measured (____) and COMSOL Modeled (oooo)

28-Aug-96 11:53:04

CONDUCTANCE

7,000
6,000

G (uS)

5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Frequency (Hz)

Page 17

In-water Susceptance Response

Measured (____) and COMSOL Modeled (oooo)
28-Aug-96 11:53:04
SUSCEPTANCE

16,000
14,000
12,000

B (uS)

10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Frequency (Hz)

Page 18

Beam Patterns in Omni Mode

Measured and COMSOL Modeled
at 3 kHz, 5 kHz and 9.6 kHz
Range

30 dB

40 dB

50 dB

-15

-15

90

40 dB
50 dB

SENECA LAKE

-5

27-Aug-96 15:14:57
File: NUWCDOG.2
5000 Hz
S11-48 1250TAP

-10

58FT 100VRMS
F-37 #280 SS-206.6

270

SENECA LAKE

-5

27-Aug-96 15:07:44
File: NUWCDOG.1
3000 Hz
S11-48 1250TAP

-10

30 dB

40 dB
50 dB

SENECA LAKE

-5

28-Aug-96 12:03:31
File: NUWCDOG.16
9600 Hz
CML 288 TAP

-10
-15

58FT 100VRMS
F-37 #280 SS-206.6

58FT 100VRMS
F-37 #280 SS-206.6

S/N 1

S/N 1

S/N 001(PATTERN)

Beam Pattern

Beam Pattern

Beam Pattern

0dB ref = 182.6 dB re. uPa @ 1m

No -3dB BeamWidth
DI = 1.02 dB 270

0dB ref = 175.2 dB re. uPa @ 1m

-3dB BeamWidth = 75.87 Deg.
DI = 3.67 dB 270

0dB ref = 193 dB re. uPa @ 1m

-3dB BeamWidth = 35.36 Deg.

3 kHz

180

Range

Range

30 dB

90

5 kHz

180

90

DI = 3.11 dB

9.6 kHz

180

a) Measured
Range

Range

Range

30 dB

30 dB

40 dB

50 dB

-10

50 dB

-10

-10

-15

-15

Beam Pattern

3 kHz

0dB ref = 110.3 dB re. uPa @ 1m

0dB ref = 97.6 dB re. uPa @ 1m

No -3dB BeamWidth
DI = -0.7 dB

Beam Pattern

Beam Pattern

0dB ref = 100.2 dB re. uPa @ 1m

90

40 dB

-5

-5

-15

180

50 dB

-5

270

30 dB

40 dB

270

90

180

5 kHz

-3dB BeamWidth = 93.42 Deg.

DI = -1.1 dB 270

90

180

-3dB BeamWidth = 38.63 Deg.

DI = 3.2 dB

9.6 kHz

b) COMSOL Modeled

Page 19

Directional Dogbone
Flextensional Sonar Transducer

Insulator
PZT Stack b

Shell Stave
or Beam
PZT Stack a

Inactive PZT

Shell End

Page 20

FEA Shell and Stack Modes

side A

side B

Ea=1V
Eb=1V

Directional Mode

Dipole Mode

Omni Mode

minimized
motion

Ea=1V
Eb=-1V

enhanced
motion

Ea/Eb = Complex Drive

Displacements and PZT Stack Electric Fields

Page 21

Voltage Drive Configuration

Complex Far Field Pressure

11

Complex
Drive Voltage
Coeff

Po

-1 1

Pd

Ea

( Pd

Po ) / Pd

1 R

Eb

( Pd

Po ) / Pd

1 R

where

Ea / Eb

Eb Ea

Pdirct

Po / Pd

1 R /1 R

All Pressures Normalized to Dipole Pressure Field Pd

Page 22

COMSOL Modeled
a) Pressure and b) SPL Surface Plots in the
Omnidirectional, Dipole and Directional Modes at 3 kHz
Omni Mode

Dipole Mode

Directional Mode

a) Pressure Surface Plots

b) SPL Surface Plots

Page 23

FEA Molded Beam Pattern

at 3 kHz

Range

30 dB

40 dB

50 dB

50 dB

-10
-15

-15

90

Beam Pattern

Beam Pattern

0dB ref = 100.2 dB re. uPa @ 1m

0dB ref = 134 dB re. uPa @ 1m

No -3dB BeamWidth
270
DI = -0.7 dB

90

180

EA=1V
EB=-1V

40 dB

-5

-10

-15

EA=1V
EB=1V

40 dB

-5

-10

180

30 dB

50 dB

-5

270

Range

Range

30 dB

Directional Mode

Dipole Mode

Omni Mode

Beam Pattern

0dB ref = 141

-3dB BeamWidth = 89.61 Deg.

270
DI = 4.8 dB

90

-3dB BeamW

DI = -59.8 dB

180

EA= -0.721-j0.244=
0.761@-161.3 deg
EB=1V
Front/Back ratio = 67.6 dB

Same results obtained from 1kHz 6 kHz, with Front/Back > 50 dB over Band
Page 24

Summary

The Directional Dogbone Flextensional Transducer

Generates Cardioid Directional Beam Patterns

Front to Back ratio > 50 dB
That can be steered Left or Right
Reduces Ambiguity
Reduced reverberation
Improve detection rates

Broadband > Octave

Reduced Size, Weight and Cost

Page 25