Study of the self noise generated by supercavitating vehicles
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
This study investigates the self noise from a ventilated supercavitating vehicle.
A ventilated supercavity is a gaseous envelope surrounding an underwater vehicle
that significantly reduces the drag felt by the vehicle. But the hydrodynamic noise
generated by the creation of the supercavity could impact the successful deployment
of the vehicle. A principal source of self noise for these types of vehicles is sound
created by the ventilating gas jets impinging on the air-water interface. Analytical
models of the radiated sound through the interface have been developed. Sometimes
jets impinging on the interface entrain bubbles beneath the surface. This thesis
outlines a theory to predict the influence of bubbles near the interface.
Experimental measurements were made at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center
(NUWC) in Newport, RI to test the accuracy of the model. These measurements
include the unsteady force spectrum of a gas jet impinging on a rigid wall. The
acoustic pressure spectrum of a gas jet striking the air-water interface was also
recorded. The experimental results were compared to theoretical models for
validation.