The measurement of acoustic properties of limited size panels by use of a parametric source

A method of measuring the acoustic properties of limited size panels immersed in water, with a truncated parametric array used as the acoustic source, is described. The insertion loss and reflection loss of thin metallic panels, typically 0·45 m square, were measured at normal incidence by using this technique. Results were obtained for a wide range of frequencies (10 to 100 kHz) and were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions for plane waves. Measurements were also made of the insertion loss of aluminium, Perspex and G.R.P. panels for angles of incidence up to 50°. The broad bandwidth available from the parametric source permitted detailed measurements to be made over a wide frequency range using a single transmitting transducer. The small spot sizes obtainable with the parametric source also helped to reduce the significance of diffraction from edges of the panel under test.     

Transmission loss of damped asymmetric sandwich panels with orthotropic cores

A theoretical model of the acoustic performance of asymmetric sandwich panels is developed and verified by comparison with experimental data. The panel models consist of unequal elastic isotropic skins sandwiching an elastic orthotropic core. Damping is incorporated in both the skins and the core. The roles of various structural and material properties are determined via a parametric study. The importance of phase wave speeds and panel impedances for physically symmetric panels is discussed, as are implications for transmission loss characterization. For asymmetric panels it is seen that a relatively thick skin on one side produces some change in the transmission loss.     

A non-contact technique for evaluation of elastic structures at large stand-off distances: applications to classification of fluids in steel vessels

A novel technique for non-contact evaluation of structures in air at large stand-off distances (on the order of several meters) has been developed. It utilizes a recently constructed air-coupled, parametric acoustic array to excite the resonance vibrations of elastic, fluid-filled vessels. The parametric array is advantageous for NDE applications in that it is capable of producing a much narrower beamwidth and broader bandwidth than typical devices that operate under linear acoustic principles. In the present experiments, the array operates at a carrier frequency of 217 kHz, and the sound field several meters from the source is described spectrally by the envelope of the drive voltage. An operating bandwidth of more than 25 kHz at a center frequency of 15 kHz is demonstrated. For the present application, the array is used to excite vibrations of fluid-filled, steel containers at stand-off distances of greater than 3 m. The vibratory response of a container is detected with a laser vibrometer in a monostatic configuration with the acoustic source. By analyzing the change in the response of the lowest order, antisymmetric Lamb wave as the interior fluid loading conditions of the container are changed, the fluid contained within the steel vessel is classified.     

压力罐中水声材料声学特性的参量源测量法

设计了一种原波频率500 kHz、差频范围1~30 kHz的截断宽带参量阵,作为水声材料测量系统的声源。通过分析典型频率下的宽带参量源指向性理论计算和实际测量结果,发现两者结果的曲线基本吻合,证明计算模型是正确的。应用钟形短时脉冲实现水声材料声特性的宽带测量,有益于降低样品边缘衍射干扰。并建立了测量水声材料大面积板状样品声压反射系数、声压透射系数和吸声系数的压力罐测量系统,罐体内尺寸Φ4 m×12 m,最高静水压4.5 MPa,测量频率范围1~30 kHz。对标准样品(尺寸1m×1m)进行了测量实验,其测量结果和理论曲线有很好的吻合,参量源测量法得到了验证;之后,通过对一块橡胶板样品在不同静压力下的吸声性能进行了测量和有效评估,进一步确认了参量源测量法在压力罐这样有限水域中的潜在应用价值。      

Dynamic and acoustic response of bidirectionally stiffened plates with eccentric stiffeners subject to airborne and structure-borne excitations

An analytical method based on the modal expansion technique was developed to predict the vibro-acoustic response of both unidirectionally and bidirectionally stiffened flat panel. This paper presents the response to diffuse acoustic field (DAF) and turbulent boundary layer (TBL) excitations in terms of their joint acceptance. Numerical results for the dynamic and acoustic responses are compared with finite element method (FEM) and boundary element (BEM) results for stiffened panel with complex and eccentrically shaped stiffeners subject to point force excitation. A theoretical prediction of the transmission loss (TL) is also compared with laboratory measurements conducted on flat panels representing aircraft models as well as with hybrid statistical energy analysis (SEA)-FEM periodic model. The results confirm that the stiffened panel has the same acoustic response as the skin without stiffeners at frequencies where the structural wavelengths are equal to the spacing between the stiffeners. In addition, the transmission loss is lowered by the presence of the stiffeners at some particular region of frequencies below the critical frequency with respect to the unstiffened panel.     

Measurement of sound absorption coefficients of flat surfaces in a workshop

To improve the acoustic treatment of facings and provide appropriate solutions for noise control at workplace, it is necessary to develop methods of acoustic characterization of the walls in industrial halls. Sound absorption coefficient measurement in industrial rooms is however quite a difficult task because of the partially reverberant conditions. This work describes the measurement of the sound absorption coefficient of flat panels subject to small angle sound incidence, in an industrial hall using an experimental device equipped with an acoustic array. The directivity of this array has been optimized so that the major part of the received acoustic energy would come from one portion only of the investigated facing, this, in turn attenuating the reflected beams due to the reverberation. This new device includes an impulse sound source targeting the panels. The present article focuses mainly on the sound source design and implementation. It also describes some sound absorption measurements carried in a semi-anechoic chamber and in an industrial hall in order to examine the performance of the device. Sound absorption coefficients of several standard liners obtained through this device have been compared to those resulted from the two microphone technique.     

基于散射矩阵法的飞机壁板声学优化设计

采用散射矩阵法分析夹层板结构声学特性,并对典型的夹层板结构即飞机壁板进行声学优化,预计飞机壁板隔声特性,获得蒙皮、隔声隔热层、内饰板及它们的组合结构的声学性能。针对尾吊飞机客舱后部噪声过大问题,通过增加铺设隔热隔声层以及部分区域优化安装阻尼层等一系列被动降噪处理方法,对主要传递路径的飞机壁板结构进行优化,降低客舱后部噪声水平,并进行试验验证。试验结果表明:散射矩阵法可快速准确获得夹层结构的隔声性能,并与混响室法测试结果吻合较好;在厚度不变的前提下,改变隔热隔声层的铺设方式和材料密度对壁板隔声性能影响较小,但在蒙皮内侧粘贴阻尼层能在一定频段范围提高壁板隔声性能;将优化的壁板构型应用到飞机后舱段侧壁板,舱内噪声水平可降低约3 dB。     

超高速撞击声发射信号在载人航天器加筋结构的传播特性实验研究

为研究超高速撞击声发射信号经过载人航天器加筋结构后的传播规律,分别在平板结构和加筋结构上模拟高速撞击实验,利用传感器阵列采集高速撞击产生的声发射信号。结合小波和傅里叶分析方法从板波模态、频域以及时域三方面分析加筋结构对声发射信号传播特性的影响,并研究成坑和穿孔损伤模式下声发射信号的传播规律。结果表明:加筋板中的信号高频部分比平板中高频部分能量少,筋体对信号高频部分有滤波效果。加筋结构受高速撞击产生穿孔损伤时,S0模态声波的能量增多。研究成果可为载人航天器结构的高速撞击感知与定位技术提供有利参考。      

Revealing surface anomalies in structures by in situ measurement of acoustic energy absorption

An improved method is proposed for revealing surface anomalies in structures by in situ relative measurement of acoustic energy absorption. Characterization and mapping of particular structures, such as plasters of antique mural paintings are taken into account as a possible application. In situ measurements of the acoustic energy absorption are carried out, employing a diagnostic technique based on the Cepstrum algorithm. Tests on samples with artificially prepared specimens, simulating surface anomalies, are described and a collection of acoustic images is presented. Properties of the specimens and features of the experimental technique are discussed.     

Low-frequency echo-reduction and insertion-loss measurements from small passive-material samples under ocean environmental temperatures and hydrostatic pressures.

System L is a horizontal tube designed for acoustical testing of underwater materials and devices, and is part of the Low Frequency Facility of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island. The tube contains a fill fluid that is composed of a propylene glycol/water mixture. This system is capable of achieving test temperatures in the range of -3 to 40 deg Centigrade, and hydrostatic test pressures in the range 40 to 68,950 kPa. A unidirectional traveling wave can be established within the tube over frequencies of 100 to 1750 Hz. Described here is a technique for measuring the (normal-incidence) echo reduction and insertion loss of small passive-material samples that approximately fill the tube diameter of 38 cm. (Presented also is a waveguide model that corrects the measurements when the sample fills the tube diameter incompletely.) The validity of the system L measurements was established by comparison with measurements acquired in a large acoustic pressure-test vessel using a relatively large panel of a candidate material, a subsample of which was subsequently evaluated in system L. The first step in effecting the comparison was to least-squares fit the data acquired from the large panel to a causal material model. The material model was used to extrapolate the panel measurements into the frequency range of system L. The extrapolations show good agreement with the direct measurements acquired in system L.     

Formation of characteristics of a parametric acoustic array in the vicinity of a rough surface

We present an experimental study of the fields of difference frequency waves (DFW) generated by a parametric acoustic array in laboratory conditions. The spatial distribution of the DFW field of a parametric acoustic array with oblique incidence of the source radiation onto a rough water-air interface that models a disturbed ocean surface is considered. It is experimentally shown that the presence of a reflecting surface in the region of interaction of the pump wave results in a significant distortion of the angular dependences of the DFW fields in a reflected beam.State University, Nizhny Novgorod. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 38, Nos. 1–2, pp. 82–87, January–February, 1995.     

Acoustic field and array response uncertainties in stratified ocean media

The change-of-variables theorem of probability theory is applied to compute acoustic field and array beam power probability density functions (pdfs) in uncertain ocean environments represented by stratified, attenuating ocean waveguide models. Computational studies for one and two-layer waveguides investigate the functional properties of the acoustic field and array beam power pdfs. For the studies, the acoustic parameter uncertainties are represented by parametric pdfs. The field and beam response pdfs are computed directly from the parameter pdfs using the normal-mode representation and the change-of-variables theorem. For two-dimensional acoustic parameter uncertainties of sound speed and attenuation, the field and beam power pdfs exhibit irregular functional behavior and singularities associated with stationary points of the mapping, defined by acoustic propagation, from the parameter space to the field or beam power space. Implications for the assessment of orthogonal polynomial expansion and other methods for computing acoustic field pdfs are discussed.     

Sound insulation provided by single and double panel walls—a comparison of analytical solutions versus experimental results

The predicted values for acoustic insulation of single and double panel walls, using analytical models previously developed by the authors, are compared with experimental findings. The analytical method used fully takes into account the coupling between the air and the solid panels, and there is no restriction on their thickness, as the Kirchhoff or Mindlin approaches require. The laboratory experiments involved placing test specimens between standard chambers. Results are presented for panels made of glass, concrete and steel. From the results we can conclude that the predictive analytical solutions are in good agreement with the experimental results, except when the area of the panels is very small and the frequencies are very low. At low frequencies, the experimental results appear to be significantly affected by the resonance effects associated with the creation of stationary waves within the acoustic chambers, and the vibration modes introduced into the dynamic system by the restriction on the movement of the panel along its boundary.     

Recent approaches to the measurement of acoustic impedance and materials characterization

Three methods are discussed: an automated pulse tube system; a direct, point measurement technique; and the application of a parametric array for oblique angle measurement.The first of these extends the capability of a proven impedance measurement technique using a waterborne acoustic waveguide (pulse tube). Data obtained in a frequency range 3 to 100 kHz, determined from complex reflection coefficients, are presented, via a transfer function analyser interfacing with a computer and plotter, to produce impedance diagrams.A direct, point impedance technique based on sensing particle velocity, or displacement of a surface and associated acoustic pressure is next discussed. Use is made of laser interferometry to measure the vector quantity, while scalar values are determined from a pressure sensor. This data affords a direct measurement of point impedance and can be applied in obtaining complex response information from heterogeneous materials or structures.The last method employs a non-linear acoustic device to obtain a requisite acoustic beam-width allowing characterization of materials at oblique angles, with samples of limited size, at low ultrasonic frequencies.     

Automotive panel noise contribution modeling based on finite element and measured structural-acoustic spectra

The radiated noise contributions of automotive body panels to the interior sound pressure levels are modeled using an approximate spectral formulation that applies the theoretical interior acoustic sensitivity terms derived from a finite element model and measured spatial-averaged structural-acoustic spectra. The finite element calculation is validated by comparison to a set of experimental acoustic transfer functions. A measurement set-up for the sound intensity and structural-acoustic response is applied to acquire the cross and auto power spectra needed to predict the relative mean-squared velocity term of each control plane near the panel surface, and to obtain the individual panel contribution function. The proposed approach also computes the noise spectra in 1/12 octave band form at selected positions in the passenger compartment, which matches well with the overall experimental results. Through an actual passenger car application, the approximate computational scheme is proven to be generally quite robust and effective for analyzing higher frequency interior noise problems.     

Spectral estimation method for noisy data using a noise reference

The development of array processing methods to extract the useful characteristics of acoustic sources such as their locations and absolute levels, starting from the measured sound field is one of the main issues in aero-acoustics. The conventional beamforming method is a very popular technique investigated to solve the power level estimation problem. It has the advantage of being robust, easy to implement and cheap in computation time. However, this technique is also known for having poor spatial resolution capabilities which prevents the correct source levels being obtained for numerous practical applications. Deconvolution techniques of the result computed with CBF, with the point spread function of the array manifold, may restore the power levels of the acoustic sources that would be observed in the absence of the array resolution effects. However, the accuracy of the results provided by deconvolution methods is very sensitive to background noise, always present in acoustic measurements. This process should be carried out after the additive noise has been suitably attenuated and, ideally, the deconvolution operator should amplify the noise as little as possible. Another approach is described in the article. It consists in using a noise reference and a new technique called spectral estimation method with additive noise to remove both the smearing effect produced by the array response and the background noise. The technique has been applied to computer and experimental simulations conducted both in an anechoic chamber and in the test section of an open wind tunnel involving acoustic sources radiating in a noisy environment. The levels of the sources were found with a good level of accuracy and the background noise greatly reduced, confirming the validity of the approach and the satisfactory performance of the method proposed.     

Optimal design of acoustical sandwich panels with a genetic algorithm

An optimization study is performed to design a sandwich panel with a balance of acoustical and mechanical properties at minimal weight. An acoustical model based on higher-order sandwich beam theory is used with mechanical analysis of the maximum deflection at the center of the sandwich panel under a concentrated force. First, a parametric study is performed to determine the effects of individual design variables on the sound transmission loss of the sandwich panel. Next, by constraining the acoustical and mechanical behavior of the sandwich panel, the area mass density of the sandwich panel is minimized using a genetic algorithm. The sandwich panels are constructed from eight face-sheet and sixteen core materials, with varying thicknesses of the face sheets and the core. The resulting design is a light-weight, mechanically efficient sound insulator with strength and stiffness comparable to sandwich structures commonly used in structural applications.     

An indirect hybrid sound transmission loss controller

The control of sound transmission through panels is an important noise control problem in the aerospace, aeronautical, and automotive industries. The trend towards using lightweight composite materials that have lower sound insulation performance is a negative factor regarding low frequency transmission loss. Double-panel partitions with the gap filled with sound absorption materials are often employed to improve the sound insulation performance with reduced added weight penalty. However, in the low frequency range, the strong coupling between the panels through the air cavity and mechanical paths may greatly reduce the sound transmission performance, making it even lower than the performance of a single panel in some frequency ranges. In this work, an experimental investigation of a new kind of hybrid (active/passive) acoustic actuator is presented. The idea consists of replacing the acoustic absorption material by a hybrid actuator aiming at improving the transmission loss at low frequencies without altering the passive attenuation. A prototype of the system is tested in a plane wave acoustic tube setup. Different kinds of SISO feedforward control implementations were used to attenuate the sound power transmitted through the hybrid active–passive panel using an error microphone or a particle velocity sensor placed downstream with respect to the sample panel. Measurement results of the transmission loss with active and hybrid attenuation are presented and discussed.     

Mechanisms for subcritical penetration into a sandy bottom: experimental and modeling results

This paper presents preliminary results of a recent study whose overall objectives are to determine the mechanisms contributing significantly to subcritical acoustic penetration into ocean sediments, and to quantify the results for use in sonar performance prediction for the detection of buried objects. In situ acoustic measurements were performed on a sandy bottom whose geoacoustical and geomorphological properties were also measured. A parametric array mounted on a tower moving on a rail was used to insonify hydrophones located above and below the sediment interface. Data covering grazing angles both above and below the nominal critical angle and in the frequency range 2-15 kHz were acquired and processed. The results are compared to two models that account for scattering of sound at the rough water-sediment interface into the sediment. Although all possible mechanisms for subcritical penetration are not modeled, the levels predicted by both models are consistent with the levels observed in the experimental data. For the specific seafloor and experimental conditions examined, the analysis suggests that for frequencies below 5-7 kHz sound penetration into the sediment at subcritical insonification is dominated by the evanescent field, while scattering due to surface roughness is the dominant mechanism at higher frequencies.     

Acoustic backscatter measurements from littoral seabeds at shallow grazing angles at 4 and 8 kHz

Direct measurement of acoustic scattering from the seabed at shallow grazing angles and low kilohertz frequencies presents a considerable challenge in littoral waters. Specifically, returns from the air-water interface typically contaminate the signals of interest. To address this issue, DRDC Atlantic has developed a sea-going research system for measuring acoustic scatter from the seabed in shallow-water environs. The system, known as the wideband sonar (WBS), consists of a parametric array transmitter and a superdirective receiver. In this paper, backscatter measurements obtained with the WBS at two sandy, shallow-water sites off North America's Atlantic coast are presented. Data were collected at 4 and 8 kHz at grazing angles from 3 degrees-15 degrees. The backscattering strength is similar at both sites and, below about 8 degrees, it appears to be independent of frequency within the statistical accuracy of the data. The measurements show reasonable agreement with model estimates of backscatter from sandy sediments. A small data set was collected at one of the sites to examine the feasibility of using the WBS to measure the azimuthal variability of acoustic scatter. The data set--although limited--indicates that the parametric array's narrow beamwidth makes the system well-suited to this task.