Simulated analysis and experimental validation of sound field distribution regularity for a large-scale non-anechoic harbor pool

Abstract

The large-scale underwater space, such as large water pool or large-scale harbor pool can provide a good experimental environment for the measurement of the underwater radiated noise of vessel. However, it's not as simple as measuring the sound power of a small machine in the air, the measurement and evaluation of the low frequency mechanical noise and radiated sound power of vessel requires a specific reverberation environment in the large-scale underwater space. Therefore, in this paper, the reverberant sound field characteristics of large-scale underwater space are simulated and calculated by finite element analysis, and experimental measurements are carried out in the large-scale harbor pool. It was found the cut-off frequency of large-scale underwater space depends on the depth of the water pool, and the lower limit frequency depends on the volume of the water pool. The dock door does not reduce the spatial average sound pressure in the reverberation sound field, the floating box platform does not effect on the cut-off frequency but has an effect on the sound energy of the reverberant sound field. It is possible to select the appropriate underwater experimental environment for the measurement and evaluation of different mechanical noise sources. The sound pressure level obtained by calculating the sound source at different locations in the reverberation area is basically the same, and in a 16 × 22 hydrophone arrays, more than 160 array elements are selected, each between 0.25 m and 1 m, a stable sound pressure level can be obtained through spatial averaging. Through experimental measurement verification in the large-scale harbor pool, low-frequency sound sources are emitted from 6 different positions, three hydrophone arrays data are collected, and the measured sound pressure level error is within 1.4 dB. These conclusions are conducive to the actual measurement and evaluation of noise sources of vessel.