Sensor-actuator panels for underwater acoustic control

Local control of an acoustic projector or boundary can, in principal, be accomplished using large area locally-controlled actuators with an imbedded or intimately bonded sensor arrays. However in practice the marriage of an actuator and sensor array is not straightforward. In a basic research study, this paper considers the design and performance of a generic smart actuator for underwater acoustic applications. Both surface pressure and surface velocity sensing are included. Models are presented for understanding the importance of some of the mechanisms and construction issues involved, and for predicting the resulting system transfer functions. The predictions are compared with freefield experimental results.