Expendable Acoustic Source for AUV Based Geoacoustic and Geotechnical Survey Operations

There is a need to develop an Expendable Acoustic Source for AUV based geoacoustic and geotechnical survey operations that can be used to help determine the bottom sediment acoustic properties, which will help in planning the operation of low and mid-frequency ASU sonars in shallow water. In addition, the inversion of the acoustic information for geotechnical properties will support classification for mine burial predictions. Massa Products Corporation and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory are teaming to develop the necessary Expendable Acoustic Source. Massa, which has created hundreds of different sonar transducers over the past 65 years, will develop the transducer utilizing a unique electrodynamic force generator design concept, that it has proven can generate a relativity flat transmitting response from 100 Hz to 4 kHz, and the electronic circuitry required to operate the Expendable Acoustic Source. JHUAPL will develop the optimum battery technology and undertake modeling and simulation based performance predications. During Phase I, the components of the system will be developed and optimized, and a final prototype Expendable Acoustic Source will be designed.