Fast method to predict wide-angle sound scattering from coated plates

Abstract

Multistatic sonar provides enhanced target detection in complex underwater environments. The wide-angle bistatic scattering characteristics of targets, particularly the bistatic reflection coefficients, are important for evaluating system performance and designing acoustic absorbing coatings. However, obtaining full-angle experimental measurements is challenging, and conventional finite-element simulations become computationally prohibitive for large structures, high frequencies, or exhaustive angle sweeps. To overcome these challenges, a fast wide-angle scattering prediction method for acoustically coated plates is proposed. The method constructs a scattering transfer matrix from the surface mesh and retrieves the equivalent source density from a small subset of scattered-pressure samples, enabling reconstruction of the full-angle scattering field and rapid extraction of reflection coefficients. The approach is demonstrated on both rigid and coated plates, with predictions compared against finite-element calculations. The results demonstrate that the proposed method accurately reproduces the bistatic reflection coefficients, including non-linear dispersion effects and interference fringes, across a wide frequency band from 100 Hz to 5 kHz. Compared to traditional FEM sweeps, this method significantly reduces computational time while maintaining high accuracy, providing an efficient tool for the design of acoustic stealth materials and laying a foundation for rapid target strength prediction of complex targets using the Planar Element Method.