The Specification of Large Reverberant Acoustic Test Facilities

There is a significant and continuing worldwide interest in large Reverberant Acoustic Test Facilities (RATFs) that subject spacecraft to the simulated acoustic field of a rocket launch. Established companies continue to upgrade their existing RATFs or build new ones. Companies and countries that are just entering the field of spacecraft development must eventually build new integration and test facilities, including RATFs. Acoustic test facilities are rarer than vibration test systems and less well understood in general. Even experienced users typically require assistance during the development of specifications for an upgrade or for a new RATF. This paper provides an overview of some important topics that should be included in the specification of a large RATF, based on the many facilities the author has worked with over the past 23 years. Specific recommendations for certain aspects of an RATF are also included.