Atmospheric Acoustic Propagation Prediction Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.1 Topic No.: N08-096 Topic Title: Atmospheric Acoustic Propagation Prediction Proposal No.: N081-096-0808 Firm: Blue Ridge Research and Consulting 13 1/2 W. Walnut Street Asheville, North Carolina 28801 Contact: Micah Downing Phone: (828) 252-2209 Web Site: www.blueridgeresearch.com Abstract: Acoustic signatures radiating to the ground enable the enemy to aurally detect, locate, and classify inbound U.S. tactical aircraft. Multi-Service and multi-agency requirements exist to study the problem and to develop countermeasures, yet no capability currently exists to adequately assess our vulnerability problem. To address these applications, a modular system of acoustical tools is proposed to integrate the physical factors controlling the reception of the acoustical signatures on the battlefield. First and foremost, this system will provide a prediction of the noise from a source to a receiver location. However, behind this simple concept several physical factors influence the received signal. These factors include source emission characteristics, atmospheric conditions, and receiver capabilities along with the integration of the individual uncertainties. The primary factors in these uncertainties are the atmospheric conditions since they generate the most variation in the received signal. Each of these factors has current and on-going development, which will be leveraged for the proposed system. However, the integration and interaction of the uncertainties is required for accurate determination of risk and identification of enemy movements. Benefits: Creating an acoustic model that can deal with all aspects of local weather, including both bulk weather conditions such as temperature and wind gradients, as well as the local small scale turbulence will create a prediction tool with a high level of accuracy. Combined with highly accurate source representations and a receiver detection model will create a system with a wide range of uses. Besides the obvious uses of the military for force protection and reconnaissance, there are a wide range of civilian uses. Outdoor amphitheaters, firing ranges, industrial plants, and almost any other major noise maker could use the information provided by this type of a model for identifying environmental issues. Return