Experimental analysis and modeling for predicting bistatic reverberation in the presence of artificial bubbles

Abstract

Bubbles generated by various causes in the ocean are known to persist for long periods of time. Although the volume occupied by bubbles in the ocean is small, the presence of bubbles in ocean due to resonance and attenuation greatly affects the acoustic properties. Accordingly, bistatic reverberation experiment was performed in the ocean where artificial bubbles exist. A number of transducers and receivers were installed on 6 buoys arranged in a hexagonal shape, and blowing agents were dropped in the center of the buoy to generate bubbles. For reverberation modeling that reflects acoustic characteristics changed by bubbles, the spatial distribution of bubbles was estimated using video data and received signals. A measurement-based bubble spectral shape was used, and it was assumed that the bubble density within the spatial distribution of the estimated bubble was the same. As a result, it was confirmed that the bubble reverberation was simulated in a time similar to the measured data regardless of the bubble density, and the bubble reverberation level similar to the measured data was simulated at a void fraction of about 10(-7) similar to 10(-6.8).