A Study of the Initial Pressure Pulse from an Underwater Acoustic Transient

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to study acoustic transients underwater. A flat receiver response is required in order to get an accurate representation of the transient. The transducers were calibrated over the frequency range of 20 KHz to 1 MHz to see what their receiver responses were. A compensating circuit was built to flatten out the receiver response of the type of transducer with the smoothest response. The compensated receiver circuit and the receiver were then used to study the acoustic transient produced by an underwater spark discharge.