Design of an underwater Tonpilz transducer with 2-2 mode piezocomposite materials

The performance of a transducer is determined by the properties of constituent materials and the effects of many structural parameters. In this study, the use of 2-2 piezocomposite materials in an underwater Tonpilz transducer was investigated. Through finite element analyses, the relationship between the piezocomposite material properties and the performance of the transducer was investigated, i.e., operation frequency, bandwidth, and sound pressure. Based on the analysis result, the geometry of the Tonpilz transducer that could provide the highest sound pressure for a given electric field amplitude while satisfying requirements such as bandwidth and operation frequency was optimized. The optimization result was compared with that of a traditional piezoceramic transducer to confirm the superiority of the piezocomposite transducer; a Tonpilz transducer made of 2-2 mode piezocomposite plates could provide a higher effective coupling factor and thus a wider bandwidth at a desired operation frequency with a smaller size than a traditional piezoceramic transducer.