The infinite planar baffles problem in acoustic radiation and its experimental verification

Abstract

In acoustics, the analysis of pressure distribution in a field of surface sources is most frequently performed using the assumption that the source constitutes a part of an infinite planar rigid baffle (Rayleigh’s approximation). However, in many practical cases of ultrasonic echography, assumption of a soft pressure-release baffle (the Rayleigh-Sommerfeld approximation) or of free-field conditions (the Kirchhoff approximation) seemed to be better matched to real conditions. A theoretical survey of the planar baffles problem is given in this paper, and its practical aspects in acoustic source radiation are discussed. Some experiments, showing the influence of different boundary conditions onto radiation patterns, verify the theoretical predictions.