DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A SUPERCONDUCTING ACOUSTIC PROJECTOR

A DESIGN IS PROPOSED FOR A CRYOGENIC ACOUSTIC PROJECTOR FOR LOW FREQUENCY UNDERSEA COMMUNICATIONS OR SURVEILLANCE OVER LONG DISTANCES. ALTERNATIVELY THIS VIBRATIONAL POWER SOURCE COULD BE USED TO TEST THE PHYSICAL INTEGRITY OF STRUCTURES, TO DRIVE PILINGS, OR FOR OTHER INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. ITS UNIQUE FEATURE IS A VERY HIGH POWER-TOWEIGHT RATIO, EXCEEDING THAT OF ANY OTHER LOW FREQUENCY VIBRATIONAL SOURCE BY MORE THAN A FACTOR OF TEN. THE PROPOSED PHASE I EFFORT SEEKS TO BALANCE THE SYMMETRICAL DRIVES TO THE TWO END PLATES, NULL OUT UNWANTED VIBRATIONS, REDUCE EDDY CURRENTS BY DESIGNING COIL MOUNTS OF NON-CONDUCTING MATERIALS, PROPERLY MATCH THE STIFFNESS OF THE VIBRATING DIAPHRAGMS TO THAT OF THE COIL MOUNTS, DESIGN AND BUILD ELECTRONIC POWER SUPPLIES WITH ADAPTIVE FEEDBACK CONTROL ON THE AC DRIVES TO MAINTAIN PROPER BALANCE, AND TO DESIGN THE SUPER CONDUCTING DC COIL AND ITS ASSOCIATED ELECTRONICS. THE WORK PLAN INCORPORATES THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF MOST OF THESE COMPONENTS, THEIR ASSEMBLY INTO THE PROJECTOR, AND REPEATED TESTING OF THE ASSEMBLED PROJECTOR IN AIR AND IN WATER TO EVALUATE EACH COMPONENT DESIGN. A CALIBRATED ACCELEROMETER SYSTEM WILL PERMIT MEASUREMENT OF FREQUENCY RESPONSE, Q AT RESONANCE, PISTON DISPLACEMENTS, POWER OUTPUT, AND UNWANTED VIBRATIONAL MODES.