Dynamics characterisation of cymbal transducers for power ultrasonics applications

A class V cymbal flextensional transducer is composed of a piezoceramic disc sandwiched between two cymbal-shaped shell endcaps. Depending on the type of piezoceramic, there exists a maximum voltage that can be reached without depolarisation, but also, at higher voltage levels, amplitude saturation can occur. In addition, there is a restriction imposed by the mechanical strength of the bonding agent. The effects of input voltage level on the vibration response of two cymbal transducers are studied. The first cymbal transducer has a standard configuration of end-caps bonded to a piezoceramic disc, whereas the second cymbal transducer is a modified design which includes a metal ring to improve the mechanical coupling with the end-caps, to enable the transducer to operate at higher voltages, thereby generating higher displacement amplitudes. This would allow the transducer to be suitable for power ultrasonics applications. Furthermore, the input voltages to each transducer are increased incrementally to determine the linearity in the dynamic responses. Through a combination of numerical modelling and experiments, it is shown how the improved mechanical coupling in the modified cymbal transducer allows higher vibration amplitudes to be reached. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the Ultrasonic Industry Association.