Underwater noise abatement panel and resonator structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9343059-B2
Application number	US-201414494700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 24, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

A system for reducing noise emissions in underwater environments is presented. The system can be extended to applications in any two-fluid environments where one fluid (gas) is contained in an enclosed resonator volume connected to the outside environment at an open end of the resonator body. The resonators act as gas-containing (e.g., air) Helmholtz resonators constructed into solid panels that are submerged in the fluid medium (e.g., sea water) in the vicinity of a noise generating source. The oscillations of the trapped air volume in the resonators causes reduction of certain noise energy and a general reduction in the transmitted noise in the environment of the system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for reducing underwater noise, comprising:
a solid panel having a thickness at any given location on the panel and having two generally opposing faces of said panel;
a plurality of resonator cavities defined within said panel;
each resonator cavity having a closed end within said panel and an open end through which an interior of said resonator cavity is in fluid communication with surrounding of said panel;
each resonator cavity further defining a volume described by a geometry of said resonator cavity within said panel; and
each resonator cavity configured and arranged within said panel so as to have at least a portion of said volume of the resonator cavity disposed higher than said open end so as to be capable of trapping an amount of gas within the resonator cavity,
said resonator cavities comprising a L-shaped or J-shaped inclusion into said panel with at least one segment thereof having a vertically extending leg so as to trap a buoyant gas therein when said panel is submerged in a liquid that is more dense than said gas.

2. The system of claim 1 , each resonator cavity further comprising an enlarged section proximal to a first face of said panel and a second section comprising a narrower neck proximal to a second face of said panel and connecting said enlarged section with environs of said panel through said neck section.

3. The system of claim 1 , said resonator cavities comprising molded voids within a solid structure of said panel.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cover layer on a face of said panel proximal to said closed ends of said resonator cavities, said cover layer having partially permeable structure at least where said cover layer covers said open ends of said resonator cavities.

5. The system of claim 4 , said partially permeable structure comprising a perforated grating allowing fluid to pass therethrough.

6. The system of claim 1 , said panel comprising a solid material more dense than water.

7. The system of claim 1 , said open ends of said resonator cavities providing a two-fluid interface between a gas trapped within the volume of said resonator cavities and a liquid surrounding said panel.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising mechanical attachment points on said panel so as to secure or pull said panel.

9. The system of claim 1 , said resonator cavities comprising an upwardly cut bore into said panel.

Assignees

• Wilson Preston
• Lee Kevin M
• Wochner Mark S
• Mendez Martinez Hector L
• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Wilson Preston
• Lee Kevin M
• Wochner Mark S
• Mendez Martinez Hector L

Classifications

• G10K2200/11

  Underwater, e.g. transducers for generating acoustic waves underwater · CPC title

• G10K11/172 Primary

  using resonance effects · CPC title