Modeling nonlinearity in electrostrictive sonar transducers

Electrostrictive driver materials with large strain capability hold great promise for the advancement of sonar projector technology. However, the nonlinear induced strain of these materials can create acoustic distortion in transducers through higher-order harmonics. Electrostrictors also possess complicated prestress and temperature dependencies, and an elastic modulus that depends strongly on electric field. This investigation examined these issues with a nonlinear, frequency domain model for a flextensional transducer powered by an electrostrictive stacked actuator. A simple, linear lumped-parameter model of a flextensional shell and its surrounding acoustic medium were combined with a nonlinear model of the electrostrictive driver. This model accounted for the material’s nonlinear dependencies and behavior. Predictions of the device’s acoustic/electric response during operation compared favorably with experiments performed on a single element flextensional transducer. The model’s results showed that proper adjustment of the power supply’s parameters minimizes the level of distortion without completely sacrificing the transducer’s improved source level.