Effects of slits in a patch of omnidirectional Lamb-wave MPT on the transducer output

An omnidirectional Lamb-wave magnetostrictive patch transducer (MPT) uses a thin circular magnetostrictive patch excited by the axisymmetric turns of a plane coil placed over it. Since the dynamic magnetic field applied by the coil induces an eddy current only on the top surface due to the skin effect, the mechanical deformation in the patch is confined only near the surface, considerably limiting the transducer output power. This study shows that if a radial slit is introduced in the patch, the circular flow of the eddy current on the top surface only becomes broken, and thus the eddy current flows on both the top and bottom surfaces. As a consequence, there is a substantial increase in the dynamic magnetic field in the patch and, in turn, an increased transducer output power. Interestingly, the material type, either metallic or nonmetallic, of the test waveguide plate affects the magnitude of the eddy current near the bottom surface and the overall magnetic field. If the number of slits is over a certain number, say, 8, and the slits are symmetrically made in the patch, the omni-directivity of the resulting MPT is virtually ensured. Finally, the present findings are verified both numerically and experimentally.