Westinghouse Electric Corporation

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Phillip R Anderson

John H Thompson

George R Douglas

Frank P Hodges

Harold W Fowler

Robert P Van Eepoel

An acoustic array of special utility in deep operating antisubmarine torpedoes comprises a plurality of individual transducer elements supported by a back-plate member. An acoustic window made of an elastomeric or plastic material is mounted against the front faces of the transducer elements and forms part of the water-proof housing of the torpedo. The backplate provides abuttive support to the transducer elements against crush pressure exerted by ambient water against the acoustic window. Inserts, made of an acoustic decoupling material which exhibits high crush strength characteristics, are interposed between each transducer element and the backplate. The backplate is made of body sections having interposed therebetween very thin layers of a compliant material, with the layers bondingly confined between the body sections. The compliant material is chosen to be of a type which damps acoustic vibrations which may be present in the backplate by the mechanism of 'coulomb friction damping'.

Low noise transducer system

An acoustic homing torpedo having an array of transducers wherein each transducer has a head mass, tail mass, and a main active element therebetween. An auxiliary active element is placed on the tail mass so that when given a predetermined signal it will cause the main element to provide a corresponding output signal so as to simulate the reception of an actual acoustic wave. By energizing the main element, the response of the auxiliary element may be examined for testing the transducer and the array in a transmit mode of operation.

Transducer assembly for self-calibration

An acoustic homing torpedo which has an acoustic window and a nose section with the window-torpedo shell interface being positioned at a location aft of the acoustic transducers in the nose so as to minimize unwanted flow noise.

Laminar flow quiet torpedo nose

1. A channel defining system for aiding the navigation through a body of er of a vessel equipped with a high resolution pulsed catacoustic system adapted to scan the bottom in range abeam of the vessel comprising

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Ellicott City, MD, United States of America

Phillip R Anderson