Modelling the Acoustic Propagation in a Test Section of a Cavitation Tunnel: Scattering Issues of the Acoustic Source

Abstract

The prediction of the underwater-radiated noise for a vessel is classically performed at a model scale and extrapolated by semi-empirical laws. The accuracy of such a method depends on many parameters. Among them, the acoustic propagation model used to estimate the noise measured at a model scale is important. The present study focuses on the impact of the presence of a source in the transverse plane. The scattering effect, often neglected in many studies, is here investigated. Applying different methods for computation, we perform several simulations of the acoustic pressure field to show the influence of the scattered field. We finally discuss the results and draw some conclusions about the scattering effect in our experimental configuration.

Keywords

• hydrodynamic tunnel
• acoustic propagation
• scattering effect
• modal theory
• image source method