Investigations on the acoustic transmission characteristics of underwater perforated panel structures

Perforated panel structures have a wide potential in underwater applications. However, up to now there has been little related research. The acoustic impedance of an underwater perforated panel is obtained based on the theories for air perforated panel sound absorption. In this paper sound transmission characteristics of underwater perforated panel structures are theoretically analyzed by the transfer matrix method. A formula for normal incidence sound transmission coefficients is given. The main factors that have effects on the acoustic transmission coefficient are analyzed by numerical simulations. The perforated panel structures made by ourselves are tested in a standing-wave tube by the four-sensor transfer-function method. The experimental results are well in accord with the results obtained by the numerical method, which proves that the theoretical analysis is correct. This paper has provided theoretical and experimental bases for the design of underwater perforated panel structures.