Equivalent Circuit to Analyze the Transmitting Characteristics of a Cymbal Array

A cymbal transducer has a simple structure consisting of a piezoceramic disk and metallic caps and has broadband characteristics when built as an array. The finite element method (FEM) is generally used to analyze the characteristics of acoustic transducers. However, the FEM requires a longer analysis time as the model becomes larger, which makes it limited and less efficient for analyzing the cymbal array. In this study, a new equivalent circuit with higher efficiency and accuracy, comparable to that of the FEM, was proposed to analyze the performance of cymbal arrays. The equivalent circuit for the array was constructed by connecting the equivalent circuits of individual cymbal transducers in parallel with a radiation impedance matrix that included both the self- and mutual radiation characteristics of the array. The validity of the new equivalent circuit was verified by measuring the transmitting voltage response of a cymbal array specimen and comparing it with that calculated using the circuit. The comparison confirmed the efficiency of the equivalent circuit in analyzing the characteristics of the cymbal array. The proposed equivalent circuit can facilitate the design of a large array of cymbal transducers.