Accession Number:
AD0621161
Title:
SOUND-WAVE FLUCTUATIONS IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF SIMULATED RANDOM INHOMOGENEITY,
Descriptive Note:
Corporate Author:
LOCKHEED MISSILES AND SPACE CO PALO ALTO CALIF LOCKHEED PALO ALTO RESEARCH LAB
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1965-03-29
Pagination or Media Count:
6.0
Abstract:
A research program has been conducted under controlled laboratory conditions of acoustic amplitude fluctuations arising during sound transmission through an underwater medium containing a spatially random distribution of inhomogeneities that are temporally stationary. Spherical, thin-walled, liquid-filled balloons of a diameter large in comparison with the acoustic wavelength were situated at random in a large underwater facility. Refractive indices of the fluid spheres were varied up to 1 from the index for water. Thus, numerous weak, large-scale refractiveindex variations were introduced in an experimental acoustic chamber under controlled temperature conditions. Signal fluctuations were measured in plane-wave sound transmission through the simulated random environment for four different ultrasonic frequencies and four transmitter-to-receiver ranges. Multiudinous ensembles were realized at each frequency and range by rotation of transmitter-receiver line of sight about its midpoint. The experimental arrangement and measurement procedures are detailed herein, and mean-square amplitude fluctuations that were determined are presented as a function of both acoustic frequency and transmitter-to-receiver range. Theoretical results for plane-wave propagation in a statistically isotropic medium are included as a foundation for the laboratory findings. Author