Procedure for the In Situ Calibration of Sonar Tranducers
Abstract
Sonar transducers are usually calibrated prior to installation on a ship. They are not, however, recalibrated after installation even though their receiving (and transmitting) properties can change significantly. In this report we present a procedure for the in situ calibration of sonar transducers at any desired time after installation when the ship is in open water. The procedure provides an up-to-date knowledge of the complex freefield sensitivity (or response) of each of the array transducers. This knowledge can be used to minimize, perhaps even eliminate, the adverse effects on array performance due to changes in the properties of one or more transducers. The in situ calibration procedure is based on a form of three-transducer reciprocity calibration that uses sound propagation factors to account for the influence of the ship's structure. The report describes how to obtain numerical values for the required sound propagation factors. It also describes how to use two-transducer comparison calibration to simplify the in situ calibration process, at least for highly reliable sonars. Keywords: In situ calibration; Transducer; Acoustic measurement; Reciprocity calibration; Sonar array.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 30, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA159417
Entities
People
- A. L. Van Buren
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory