Analysis of Viscoelastic Damping Effect on the Underwater Acoustic Radiation of a Ring-Stiffened Conical Shell

Abstract

Hydroacoustic radiation from submarine power compartments has been the focus of research for many years. In this work, a ring-stiffened conical shell with bases is employed as the target model. The self-factors of viscoelastic damping, such as the damping thickness and damping location, are selected to study their effect on the underwater acoustic radiation, which will give a better understanding of the optimal scheme for applying damping. Firstly, based on a combination of finite element method (FEM) and boundary element method (BEM), the underwater vibration and acoustic radiation of the whole structure are analyzed. Secondly, taking a clamped-free sandwich beam as an example, through comparison with the published numerical data, the present damping application method and mesh density are verified. Finally, the influence of viscoelastic damping parameters on acoustic radiation is studied. The results show that the viscoelastic damping thickness has a significant influence on the amplitude of radiated noise but does not change the distribution of the acoustic field. Furthermore, the damping on the web may achieve the best vibration damping effect in this work.