Underwater Noise Abatement Panel and Resonator Structure

摘要

A system for reducing noise emissions in underwater environments is presented. The system can be extended to applications in any two-fluid environments where one fluid (gas) is contained in an enclosed resonator volume connected to the outside environment at an open end of the resonator body. The resonators act as gas-containing (e.g., air) Helmholtz resonators constructed into solid panels that are submerged in the fluid medium (e.g., sea water) in the vicinity of a noise generating source. The oscillations of the trapped air volume in the resonators causes reduction of certain noise energy and a general reduction in the transmitted noise in the environment of the system.

主权项

1. A system for reducing underwater noise, comprising:
a solid panel having a thickness at any given location on the panel and having two generally opposing faces of said panel; a plurality of resonator cavities defined within said panel; each resonator cavity having a closed end within said panel and an open end through which an interior of said resonator cavity is in fluid communication with surrounding of said panel; each resonator cavity further defining a volume described by a geometry of said resonator cavity within said panel; and each resonator cavity configured and arranged within said panel so as to have at least a portion of said volume of the resonator cavity disposed higher than said open end so as to be capable of trapping an amount of gas within the resonator cavity when said panel is submerged in a liquid, wherein said volume or said geometry of each resonator cavity varies according to a respective depth of deployment of said resonator cavity in said liquid.