Product

1-3 Arrange & Fill
Regular Fiber

Using the patented Arrange & Fill method, we produce 1-3 composites using piezo ceramic fibers as active rods. Regular fiber distribution is achieved by arranging the fibers with fixed spacing. Typical applications include Sonar array and single element transducers, air ultrasound transducers and general underwater ultrasound applications.

Innovative production process:
the Arrange & Fill method

Smart Material manufactures 1-3 composites using piezo ceramic fibers as active rods. PZT fiber composites are a cost effective alternative to the Dice & Fill method.

1-3 fiber piezo composites are prepared by epoxy infiltration of fiber bundles and dicing of the cube-shaped blocks perpendicular to the direction of the fibers. This patented method is also called Arrange & Fill. Due to the Arrange & Fill production method, the raw 1-3 fiber composite material is typically blocks up to 10 cm in length and the lateral dimensions of the targeted element.

In addition to slicing elements with the desired resonance frequency of the raw fiber block, the Arrange & Fill method also allows 1-3 fiber composites to be processed into various shapes and forms. This includes precise concave or convex contours for superior broadband ultrasound receiver applications.

The Arrange & Fill manufacturing method is easily scalable to high volume production, which also allows for short lead times, which is a major advantage over the more commonly used Dice & Fill method.

Smart Material offers various standard epoxy and polyurethane systems as the interstitial material for its random fiber composites, often called filler. The different filler materials available allow for operational temperatures ranging from 95°C to 135°C.

1-3 Arrange & Fill Regular Fiber Composites

Regular pixel distribution is achieved by arranging 800µm diameter ceramic fibers at a constant pitch. This yields fill factors of approximately 15% to a maximum of 48%.

The 1-3 fiber regular composite material was especially designed for Sonar and other underwater ultrasound applications. A modified vacuum deposition method allows for a low impedance copper-flash tin layer with a typical thickness of 2.5µm for high durability and improved solderability.

1-3 Regular Fiber Composite product specifications

Resonance Frequencies	80 kHz – 1 MHz
Fill Factors	15% – 48%
PZT Materials	PZT Navy Type II
Acoustic Impedance	5 MRayl – 16 MRayl
Available Electrodes	CuSn (Copper with Tin flash layer)
Dimensions	Max. 100mm x 100mm Various round diameters
Coupling Coefficient kt	0.61 – 0.68
Operational Temperatures	Typical: 95°C 135°C on request
Interstitial Materials	Various Epoxy systems

1-3 Regular Fiber Composite product selections

Resonance Frequencies

Frequency	Pixel Size	Fill Factor	Dimensions (mm²)
80 kHz – 1 MHz	800µm	15%	max. 100 x 100
80 kHz – 1 MHz	800µm	25%	max. 100 x 100
80 kHz – 1 MHz	800µm	48%	max. 100 x 100

Frequency Tolerances: ± 10% (typical), ± 5% (on request)

Fill Factors

Fill Factor	Frequency
15%	80 kHz – 1 MHz
25%	80 kHz – 1 MHz
48%	80 kHz – 1 MHz
Other	80 kHz – 1 MHz

PZT Materials

PZT Material	Di-electric Constant	Frequency
PZT Navy Type II, 5A	1850	80 kHz – 10 MHz

Acoustic Impedance

Acoustic Impedance (MRayl)	Fill Factor
5.1 MRayl	15%
8.5 MRayl	25%
16 MRayl	48%

Dimensions

Max. Dimensions	Frequency
100 mm x 100 mm	80 kHz – 1 MHz

Mechanical Tolerances:
< 6mm ± 0.1mm
< 30mm ± 0.2mm
> 30mm ± 0.3mm

Available Diameters
3.18 mm (0.125″)
5.12 mm (0.202″)
5.18 mm (0.204″)
5.68 mm (0.224″)
6.00 mm (0.236″)
6.50 mm (0.256″)
8.20 mm (0.323″)
9.00 mm (0.354″)
9.50 mm (0.374″)
10.00 mm (0.394″)
10.20 mm (0.402″)
12.00 mm (0.472″)
12.70 mm (0.500″)
14.20 mm (0.559″)
15.90 mm (0.626″)
17.50 mm (0.689″)
18.00 mm (0.709″)
19.05 mm (0.750″)
20.00 mm (0.787″)
24.00 mm (0.945″)
25.40 mm (1.000″)
30.00 mm (1.181″)
35.00 mm (1.378″)
37.7 mm (1.480″)

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+49 351 4977 145

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Additional 1-3 composites types

See more available 1-3 composite products manufactured by Smart Material

1-3 Arrange & Fill
Random Fiber

Piezo ceramic fibers used as active rods, regular distributed over the composite active area.

smart-materials-1-3-composites-dice-fill

1-3 Dice & Fill Composite

Smart Material manufactures 1-3 composites using the commonly used Dice&Fill method.

1-3 Arrange & FillRegular Fiber

Innovative production process: the Arrange & Fill method