Design optimisation of ultrasonic hydrophones with inconsistent crossover calibrations

Precision Acoustics is a leading global supplier of hydrophones, transducers, acoustic materials and scanning systems for ultrasonic frequencies.

Hydrophones are pressure measurement devices designed for underwater use. Variations in pressure, such as those induced by sound - or ultrasound - can be detected by the hydrophone, thus hydrophones are used for precise measurement of ultrasound fields. Precision Acoustics manufactures a variety of designs of hydrophone which lend themselves to measurement of all sorts of applications.

This project looks at innovative ways of reconciling and understanding differences between hydrophone calibration regimes for the needle hydrophones in the crossover frequency region of 100--400 kHz, which has applications both in, for example, therapeutic medical or sonar/underwater areas. Modifications to the internal structure of the hydrophone will be modelled and measured. The restrictions due to the calibration regimes themselves routinely used in the underwater acoustics (kHz) and medical ultrasound (MHz) areas will be combinedly addressed by the application of acoustic fields generated using parametric arrays.