This article presents an axisymmetric pressure-velocity finite-difference f
ormulation (PV-FD) based on Blot's pore-elastic theory for modeling sound p
ropagation in a homogeneous atmosphere over layered pore-elastic ground. Th
e formulation is coded in a computer program and a simulation of actual mea
surements from airblast tests is carried out. The article presents typical
results of simulation comprising synthetic time histories of overpressure i
n the atmosphere and ground vibration as well as snapshots of the response
of the atmosphere-ground system at selected times. Comparisons with the mea
surements during airblast tests performed in Haslemoen, Norway, as well as
the simulations by a frequency-wave number FFP formulation are presented to
confirm the soundness of the proposed model. In particular, the generation
of Mach surfaces in the ground motion, which is the result of the sound sp
eed being greater than the Rayleigh wave velocity in the ground, is demonst
rated with the help of snapshot plots. (C) 2000 Acoustical Society of Ameri
ca. [S0001-4966(00)04008-X].