A Hybrid Finite Element Method – Kirchhoff Approximation Method for Modeling Acoustic Scattering from an Underwater Vehicle Model with Alberich Coatings with Periodic Internal Cavities

Abstract

Anechoic tiles can significantly reduce the echo intensity of underwater vehicles, thereby increasing the difficulty of detecting such vehicles. However, the computational efficiency of conventional methods such as the finite element method (FEM) and the boundary element method (BEM) has its limitations. A fast hybrid method for modeling acoustic scattering from underwater vehicles with anechoic tiles with periodic internal cavities, is developed by combining the Kirchhoff approximation (KA) and FEM. The accuracy and rapidity of the KA method were validated by FEM. According to the actual situation, the reflection coefficients of rubber materials with two different structures under rigid backing are simulated by FEM. Using the KA method, the acoustic scattering characteristics of the underwater vehicle with anechoic tiles are obtained by inputting the reflection coefficients and the target’s geometric grid. Experiments on the monostatic target strength (TS) in the frequency range of 1 to 20 kHz and time domain echo characteristics of acoustic scattering on a benchmark scale model with anechoic tiles are conducted. The research results indicate that the TS values and echo characteristic curves of the KA solutions closely approximate the experimental results, which verifies the accuracy of the KA method in calculating the TS and echo characteristics of underwater vehicles with anechoic tiles.