UNIDIRECTIONAL MAGNETOSTRICTIVE PIEZOELECTRIC HYBRID TRANSDUCER

A unidirectional magnetostrictive/piezoelectric hybrid transducer was constructed that produced enhanced motion at one end and canceled motion at the other end. In the simplest form the transducer consists of a quarter wavelength section of piezoelectric material joined to a quarter wavelength section of Terfenol-D rare earth magnetostrictive material. A 3-kHz experimental hybrid transducer with a total length of approximately 18 in. (0.46 m) was constructed with a small central mass and two small identical end piston masses. Measurements and calculations on this device showed an average front-to-back ratio of approximately 17 dB. © 1990, Acoustical Society of America. All rights reserved.