HYDROPHONE MODELLING AND DESIGN FOR LOW COST ACOUSTIC ARRAYS

THIS PROJECT, IF SUCCESSFUL, SHOULD PROVIDE: A GENERAL MODEL AND PROCEDURE FOR USE IN DESIGNING PIEZOELECTRIC SENSORS -HYDROPHONES, ACCELEROMETERS, ETC.--WHICH WOULD ENABLE THE DESIGNER OF A SENSOR TO PREDICT ITS SENSITIVITIES TO THE STIMULUS FOR WHICH IT WAS DESIGNED, AND TO EXTRANEOUS STIMULI WHICH GENERATE INTERFERING SIGNALS; INFORMATION ON HOW THE CHOICE OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIAL AND MODE OF OPERATION, E.G. COMPRESSION OR SHEAR, AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THE DEVICE, AND HOW THE DEVICE SHOULD BE MODIFIED SHOULD IT SENSITIVITY TO EXTRANEOUS SIGNALS BE TOO HIGH; DATA ON HOW SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN POLARIZATION IN MAN-MADE MATERIALS AFFECTS SENSOR PERFORMANCE; AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE OF PVDF WIRE HYDROPHONES AND THEIR RESPONSE TO ACCELERATION AND FLEXING; ONE OR MORE DESIGNS FOR HYDROPHONES THAT APPEAR SUITABLE FOR LOW COST ACOUSTIC ARRAYS.