Flexible High-Frequency Underwater Transducer Based on Piezoelectric Composites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Acoustics Engineering
• Transducer Technology

Background:

• Traditional underwater transducers are often rigid and bulky, limiting their application on curved surfaces.
• There is a growing need for flexible and lightweight acoustic devices in various underwater applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a flexible, lightweight high-frequency underwater transducer (FT).
• To evaluate the electroacoustic performance of the developed FT compared to conventional rigid transducers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized flexible piezoelectric composite materials with a same-side electrode configuration.
• Integrated piezoelectric composites and perforated flexible printed circuits (FPC) using cutting, infusion, and reflow soldering.
• Investigated a flexible packaging process to achieve a thin transducer profile (5.3 mm).

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated a flexible underwater transducer with a thickness of 5.3 mm.
• Demonstrated transmission and reception performance within 0.5 dB of conventional rigid transducers.
• Confirmed the transducer's flexibility and capability for conformal mounting on curved surfaces.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible underwater transducer offers comparable acoustic performance to rigid counterparts.
• The design provides a viable solution for lightweight and conformally mountable underwater acoustic devices.
• Presents new insights for the advancement of lightweight underwater transducer technology.