An Omnidirectional Transducer Design Attached with High Sound-Speed Material for Use in Deep Seas

For ultrasonic transducers employed in deep seas, omnidirectivity is often required. In this paper, an omnidirectional transducer for use in deep seas is designed. To realize a transducer with desired directivity under high hydro-pressure, a new type of construction utilizes a high-sound-speed material called syntactic foam attached to a cylindrical transducer element. Numerically designed results for the omnidirectional transducer using finite element analysis considering an infinite space agree well with measured directivity patterns, and the design of a transducer with desired directivity for use under high hydro-pressure in deep seas is found to be possible.