Acoustic radiation from a baffled finite shell in an underwater waveguide

Analytical modelling of vibroacoustic systems can help us to understand the physical phenomena involved in more complex problems, and it provides a benchmark solution and reference upon which more complex systems can be built. In the present work, the system of interest consists of a finite elastic cylindrical shell inserted in infinitely rigid cylindrical baffles and immersed in an underwater acoustic waveguide. The latter consists of a finite fluid layer bounded by an upper free surface and a lower rigid floor. In such a fluid domain, the acoustic waves radiated from the excited shell will exhibit reflections off the boundaries. This phenomenon is modelled by the image-source theory and embedded in the fluid loading term, which intervenes in the shell equations. Investigations into the influence on the finiteness of the elastic shell, types of supports (i.e., simply supported, clamped, free, and combinations of these), and depth of the waveguide on the shell’s acoustic radiation are presented.