High Frequency Broadband Hybrid Transducer/Amplifier

The proposed development will result in a compact, efficient, broadband transducer module including amplifier and wet-end transducer. To facilitate multiple mission requirements, the transducer performance goals are a broad bandwidth (7-30 kHz), compact size on the order of 1/2 wavelength at the center frequency, at least 30 watts output power, and high efficiency. The resulting technology from this work will be a compact, broadband transducer module using new materials and new amplifier technology that will be capable of fulfilling multiple missions. The magnetostrictive transducer will be based on multi-resonant TERFENOL-D concepts and/or a hybrid combination of TERFENOL-D and Galfenol, a new class of structural magnetostrictive materials. The amplifier/electronics development will include a full design for a next generation power module that incorporates high power density wideband gap (state of the art) integrated power conditioning and control capabilities that will have wide impact far beyond the current proposed system. The Phase I effort will demonstrate feasibility of the transducer module concept using models and limited experiments. If successful, the proposed work will result in a compact, broadband transducer module using new materials and new amplifier technology that will be capable of fulfilling multiple missions.