Thoughts on submarine structural acoustics

The simplest submarine model is a uniform circularly cylindrical shell with flat end caps. This is too simple to be useful, but the recent phenomenal advances in computational structural acoustics, and the availability of test and laboratory facilities, make it feasible to tackle greater complexity in the submarine structure. But the newer numerical computational analyses, and standard experimental approaches, have as their initial outputs large data sets. So, in effect, structural acousticians have traded simpler and less realistic structural models, for more dense data sets and more useful models, a trade bound to be highly positive. In this context, the author has observed, subjectively, that those who have the ability to aggregate their large data sets with physics-centric descriptions do present their results crisply and with deep understanding. Also, they are better prepared to adjudicate alternate interpretations and to suggest further steps to reach more unique conclusions. Accordingly, the author suggests that specialized data filters be researched and developed for use in data interpretation, these to be formulated from questions such as: Where in the submarine structure, and in what wavenumber band, does wavenumber matching needs to be controlled? What is the modal character of an internal stiffening ring, and where should absorptive sinks of resonance peaks be placed? Additional questions are posed and discussed in the paper.