Prediction of Acoustic Energy Radiated by Bubble Produced by Raindrops

Abstract

Underwater noise produced by rainfall is an important part of underwater ambient noise. The bubbles produced by raindrops are the main noise source of underwater noise. Generally, the sound pressure signal of individual bubbles is easily contaminated by tank reverberation, hydrodynamic flow, and laboratory electrical noise. In order to solve this problem, this study proposes a method for calculating the acoustic energy of the bubble produced by a raindrop when the latter falls onto a plane water surface. For this purpose, a series of experiments was conducted in a 15 m × 9 m × 6 m reverberation tank filled with tap water. The bubble produced by a raindrop behaves as a simple exponentially damped sinusoidal oscillator. Based on the dipole radiation pattern, a formula was derived to predict the sound energy of these bubbles. The damping coefficient of the bubble formed by raindrops is found to differ appreciably from the empirical value of the bubble formed by other mechanisms. The resonance frequency of the bubbles is found to decrease with time. It is due to the rapid increase in the distance between the bubble and the interface. Then, the formula is optimized by using these two improved variables. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical derivation.