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Published on: June 16, 2023
Subwavelength acoustic metamaterial panels for underwater noise isolation
Ashley J Hicks1, Michael R Haberman1, Preston S Wilson1
1Applied Research Laboratories and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA a.jean.hicks@utexas.edu, haberman@arlut.utexas.edu, pswilson@mail.utexas.edu.
Abstract:
Acoustically thin metamaterial underwater noise isolation panels have been developed that provide as much as 16 dB of noise isolation for a panel with a thickness just 160th of the wavelength in the host medium (fresh water) at 2.5 kHz. The panels are composed of thin layers of neoprene rubber and polyoxymethylene containing air-filled voids. The level of isolation provided by the panels is shown to correlate positively with the volume fraction of air voids within the panel.
