Acoustic Response of Thin Plate with Discrete Patches with Variable Thickness in Water Medium

Abstract

This paper analyses acoustic response of thin plate with discrete patches with variable thickness in water medium. Finite-element method and Rayleigh integral method are used for sound power calculation in water medium. For low-frequency range up to 50 Hz, the peak sound power level (SPL) is achieved at higher taper ratio of 0.9 with parabolically increasing–decreasing thickness variation with one patch. In the frequency range of 70–180 Hz and 260–290 Hz, a taper ratio of 0.6 with four patches on the plate with parabolically increasing–decreasing variation is preferred for minimum SPL. It is observed that SPL is influenced by redistribution of patches, thickness variations, and taper ratios.