Sensitivity of an infinite-strip-shaped polyvinylidene fluoride film in an underwater plane sound field

Abstract

The sensitivity of an infinite-strip-shaped polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film in an underwater plane sound field is analyzed in this paper. The high-frequency sensitivity is characterized by the resonances of the symmetrical in-plane stress modes with traction-free boundary conditions at the ends of the film and by the anti-resonances due to the superposition of the stress components. The low-frequency sensitivity exhibits a simple hydrostatic response. The directional property of the in-plane stress component, generated by the incident sound across the thickness, has two contributions. The first is from the aperture and dipolar functions of the incident sound pressure over the PVDF surfaces and at the two ends of the film. The second is from an amplitude modulation by an angle-dependent gain. The directional property of the in-plane stress component by the sound pressure at the two ends of the film is only controlled by the dipolar function, and that of the stress component in the thickness direction is only determined by the aperture function. The illustration of the frequency and directional features of the PVDF film may advance understanding of the mechanisms involved in generating the voltage output of PVDF by an incident sound field.