High-Power, Low-Frequency, Textured PMN-PT Underwater Projector Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Topic No.: N181-020 Topic Title: High-Power, Low-Frequency, Textured PMN-PT Underwater Projector Proposal No.: N181-020-0312 Firm: Massa Products Corporation 280 Lincoln Street Hingham, Massachusetts 2043 Contact: Donald Massa Phone: (781) 749-4800 Web Site: http://www.massa.com Abstract: There is an ongoing need to improve the design of low-frequency, high-power, broadband sonar transducers for use in A-sized sonobuoys. Desired improvements include lowering the frequency, increasing the power, increasing bandwidth, reducing size, reducing weight, and lowering cost. Most sonobuoy applications currently utilize flextensional or flexural transducers that use piezoelectric PZT type ceramics for transduction. Single crystal piezoelectric ceramics have been investigated as possible improvements to PZT. A major drawback, however, is that they are costly and are size restricted which limits low-frequency and high-power usage. Recently, textured PMN-PT ceramics have been developed. They have piezoelectric properties that approach those of single crystal ceramics, with the advantages that it can be fabricated in larger sizes with lower cost and can be driven at higher drive levels. Therefore, a transducer made with this material has the potential to produce more source level and can also can be designed to be more compact, lighter, have a broader bandwidth, and higher effective coupling than one using PZT. During Phase I of this SBIR Program, Massa will develop an A-sized transducer for sonobuoys using textured ceramics that will contain the desired improvements. Benefits: This SBIR Program will result in the development of a relatively compact, high-power, low-frequency, broadband transducer utilizing textured ceramics that will be capable of being configured into an A-sized air deployable sonobuoy. This transducer design will be scalable and usable in a number of applications for both the Naval and commercial oceanographic markets. A few potential applications for this technology are: �?� Long Range Underwater Acoustic Communications �?� Acoustic Oceanographic Research and Data Collection �?� Marine Seismic Gas and Oil Exploration �?� Next Generation Multi-Static Coherent (MAC) Sonobuoy �?� ASW and Mine Countermeasure Return