Which is better, Magnetostrictive or Piezoelectric transducers?
This often asked question is driven primarily by the promotional efforts of the manufacturers who each tout the benefits of their particular type of equipment. Piezoelectric equipment is by far the most prevalent in use due to its relatively low cost, high efficiency and adaptability to a wide range of frequencies and waveform characteristics. Neither construction has proven superior to the other from a reliability standpoint although metallurgical attachment of either type by vacuum brazing or silver brazing likely provides longer life expectancy under adverse conditions in heavy industrial equipment. A fact of physics is that when an ultrasound wave is traveling through a cleaning tank, it is not possible to tell what type of transducer produced this sound wave. However, it is also a fact of physics that the less massive piezoelectric transducer can respond to more rapid frequency changes than can a magnetostrictive transducer. This allows the piezoelectric equipment to produce speci
