Comparative Analysis of Directivity Index between Area Arrays and Volume Arrays

Compared to area arrays, volume arrays can fully utilize limited installation space to enhance beamforming directivity, showing significant application potential. This paper takes cylindrical arrays under the same installation space as an example to compare the beamwidth, sidelobe level, and directivity index trends of traditional cylindrical area arrays and novel cylindrical volume arrays at different operating frequencies. The results demonstrate that volume arrays exhibit lower sidelobe levels, higher directivity indices, and broader operational bandwidths. However, the primary drawback is the substantial increase in required transducer elements and associated costs. This analysis provides a reference for sonar design under space-constrained conditions.