EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF SOUND-PROPAGATION IN MODELED SHALLOW-WATER ENVIRONMENTS

Experimental facilities have been built in the laboratory to investigate sound propagation in modelled isovelocity shallow-water channels. Very fine sand was used to form a fluid-like bottom layer. The acoustic properties of the sandy bottom were carefully studied. Experiments were carried out to measure sound fields in range-independent environments. The possible experimental errors and their effect on the sound field were analysed. Measured results in range-independent channels are presented in this paper. Comparisons are made between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions of the normal mode method. They are in very good agreement. This paper is a precursor for experimental and theoretical comparisons of sound propagation in range-dependent environments.