ASA 126th Meeting Denver 1993 October 4-8

4aEA7. Understanding coupling between flexural disk transducers from near field measurement.

Jean-Marc Cortambert Steven R. Baker

Phys. Dept. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943

Both in civilian and military applications of underwater acoustics the need of high-power, directional low-frequency sources has stimulated the development of volumetric arrays of closely spaced transducers. Understanding the coupling between transducers in the array becomes fundamental to proper beamforming in the active sonar array. The paper presents the study of two flexural double bilaminar disk transducers by the method of finite elements using the ATILA code. The modification of the vibration behavior and the near-field radiation distortion of an element induced by an adjacent element are computed. The results are compared with the measurement of the displacement on the flexural disk using surface mounted strain gages and the pressure field near the transducers. [Work supported by the French Delegation Generale pour l'Armement and the Naval Postgraduate School.] [sup a)]French Naval Engineer. Permanent address: DCN Toulon/SDET/BP77, Toulon 83000, France.