A Small Wide-Band, Low-Frequency, High-Power Sound Source Utilizing the Flextensional Transducer Concept

Flextensional transducers have wider bandwidths, lower operating frequencies, and higher power handling capabilities than any other types of transducers of comparable size. They make possible a new class of underwater sound sources having much smaller size while retaining all the other operating characteristics of conventional sound sources. The flextensional concept appeared several years ago. The concept is based on the vibrational modes of an oval cylindrical shell. Mutual coupling between these modes results in potential bandwidths of several octaves. This paper presents the design concept and performance predictions for a small, low-frequency sound source. Test data on an experimental model are presented and compared with predicted values.