The evolution of sonar transducer technology on U. S. surface ship and submarine platforms

Abstract

This paper will discuss the evolution of sonar transducer design from the first World War to the present. Submarines and surface ships had basically no sonar equipment to track adversaries in the first World War yet from that period to the present, tremendous advances have been made in the development of both transduction concepts and materials. This paper will address the evolution of echo ranging and passive ranging systems, intercept receivers and depth sounders, and how today’s sophisticated equipment evolved from the crude technology of the first World War. Rather than discussing systems performance, electronics, and signal processing, emphasis will be placed on transducers, hydrophones, and materials.