OVERVIEW

Acoustics for Hydrography and Oceanography  

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

To provide the necessary basic and specific knowledge to understand the structure and the functioning of sonar systems commonly used for hydrographic survey and underwater operations. To the end, underwater acoustics and signal processing rudiments will be introduced. Bathymetric and imaging sonar systems will be described and analyzed; the method to predict and exploit their performance for hydrographic survey will be depicted.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Provide at the students the knowledge of the theoretical basis of acoustics and the functioning and uses of sonar will be illustrate. 

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching activity will consist of 16 lessons

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Propagation losses, Sound velocity, Acoustic field distribution, Echo generation, Noise and reverberation, Active Sonar Theory, Electro-acoustic transducers, Need for transducer arrays, Resolutions and processing gain, The sonar equation for active systems, Seafloor Mapping and Acoustic Devices, Acoustic devices for underwater operations, Single-beam echo-sounder, Sidescan sonar, Multibeam echo-sounder, Sediment profiler.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Xavier LURTON, An Introduction to Underwater Acoustics, Principles and  Applications, Springer-Praxis, 2002.

Ashley D. WAITE, Sonar for Practising Engineers, 3rd edition, J. Wiley & Sons, 2002.

Wiliam S. BURDIC, Underwater Acoustic System Analysis, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall,1991.

Robert J. URICK, Principles of Underwater Sound, 3rd edition, MgGraw-Hill, 1983 .

Rodney F.W. COATES, Underwater Acoustic Systems, Macmillan, 1990.W.S. Burdic.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

NICOLA CORRADI (President)

TATIANA PAIS (President)

MASSIMO VERDOYA

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Second semester

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

a written test

ASSESSMENT METHODS

a written test

Exam schedule