An improved cymbal transducer with combined piezoelectric ceramic ring and metal ring

An improved cymbal transducer with a combined piezoelectric ceramic ring and metal ring is presented and analyzed. The cymbal transducer is composed of metal caps in flexural vibration, a piezoelectric ceramic ring and a metal ring in radial vibration. The radial vibration of the radial combination of a piezoelectric ring and a metal ring is analyzed and its electro-mechanical equivalent circuit is obtained. By means of numerical method, the relationship between the resonance/anti-resonance frequency, the effective electro-mechanical coupling coefficient and the geometrical dimensions is studied. The vibrational modes of the cymbal transducer are analyzed; the admittance-frequency curve and vibrational displacement distribution are given. Two cymbal transducers are designed and manufactured, and their frequency characteristics are measured. It is shown that the simulated resonance/anti-resonance frequencies and the admittance curve of the cymbal transducer are in good agreement with the measured results. The improved cymbal transducer is expected to be used in high power underwater sound projector and ultrasonic radiators in air and liquid. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.