Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Power Transducers

This article is dedicated to piezoelectric ultrasonic power transducers that differ to well known medical ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus or non destructive testing devices by the level of power in use; typically several tens of up to more than thousand watts are used in a multitude of different applications. After a short introduction including historical development, the first focus is on theoretical background of the operating principle, design and mechanical modeling. As piezoelectric elements transform electrical to mechanical energy and vice versa, equivalent circuit modeling is also described. After that, sample applications are delineated by the matter wherein ultrasound generates unique effects: incredible high pressure level as well in air as in water, micro-bubbles generating temperature peaks for very short time instances in fluids, acoustoplastic effect, enhancement of diffusion and recrystallization in solids, friction manipulation, incremental deformation and micro-cracking of surfaces, or even generation of macroscopic movements in motors. At the end, some future directions ranging from novel modeling approaches to advanced control and new materials are addressed.