High Power Continuous Duty Transducers

There is a need to develop a high power continuous duty, CW, underwater acoustic transducer. Under these operating conditions, transducer heating and fatigue can be the limiting factors in the performance. We propose to investigate these factors, compare two different low frequency transducer designs and determine which one would be best suited for a specific CW system. Although there are current CW sonar systems, such as FM sonar, we will be addressing a new anti- terrorist underwater CW acoustic system. During the Phase I program we will consider thermal conditions and fatigue models on the two specific designs and means for incorporating heat extraction paths. A choice will be made on which transducer is most appropriate for a scaled experimental model which will be fabricated, tested in-air and tested in-water for acoustic and heat performance during the option. After design optimization and FEA heat and fatigue analysis, a full sized transducer and small array would be fabricated for full testing during a possible Phase II program. We propose a program for the development of a practical CW transducer designed for the above intended applications.