A STUDY OF METHODS OF CHARACTERIZING THE EFFECTS OF INTERNAL NOISE SOURCES ON SUBMARINE FLANK ARRAYS

Passive sonar arrays are used on submarines and surface vessels to det ect the presence and position of other ships in the vicinity and locat e and identify potential targets. Noise generated by the machinery ins ide the submarine carrying the array can affect the capacity to detect other vessels. The aim of this work was to develop methods of charact erising the effects of this self-noise an the passive flank arrays whi ch are placed close to the outer surface of the hull. This paper prese nts methods of calculating the pressure field generated close to the h ull using measured vibration data and analyses the results obtained by applying beamforming techniques to this calculated noise field. Measu rements an a submerged full scale model section of a submarine hull sh owed that the nearfield pressure field created by internal mechanical sources and the effects on the array output could be predicted from vi bration measurements inside the hull. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.