title: Application of the FEM and the BEM to compute the field of a transducer mounted in a rigid baffle (3D case).
abstract: A three-dimensional finite element model has been developed which allows the harmonic analysis of a piezoelectric structure mounted on a rigid baffle and radiating into water. The solution of this problem consists of coupling a finite element method to a boundary element method. The first one enables the modelling of the vibrating structure and the second one the modelling of propagating waves in the semi-infinite fluid medium surrounding the structure. In this way, the near-field and the far-field pressures are calculated as well as the displacement field of the piezoelectric structure taking into account the acoustical interaction. Numerical and experimental results are provided which validate the numerical procedure. The good agreement obtained indicates that this three-dimensional model is a very useful tool to optimise the design of transducer arrays used in medical imaging.
authors.affiliation: UMR CNRS 8520, Département OAE, Institut d'Electronique, de Micro-Electronique et de Nanotechnologie (IEMN), Université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut Cambrésis, le Mont Houy, 59313 Valenciennes Cedex 9, France. jamal.assaad@univ-valenciennes.fr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Assaad
authors.forename: A-C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Hladky
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cugnet