Finite Element Solution for Dynamic Mechanical Parameter Influence on Underwater Sound Absorption of Polyurethane-Based Composite

Underwater noise pollution, mainly emitted by shipping and ocean infrastructure development of human activities, has produced severe environmental impacts on marine species and seabed habitats. In recent years, a polyurethane-based (PU-based) composite with excellent damping performance has been increasingly utilized as underwater sound absorption material by attaching it to equipment surfaces. As one of the key parameters of damping materials, dynamic mechanical parameters are of vital importance to evaluating the viscoelastic damping property and thus influencing the sound absorption performance. Nevertheless, lots of researchers have not checked thoroughly the relationship and the mechanism of the material dynamic mechanical parameters and its sound absorption performance. In this work, a finite element model was fabricated and verified effectively using acoustic pulse tube tests to investigate the aforementioned issues. The influence of the dynamic mechanical parameters on underwater sound absorption performance was systematically studied with the frequency domain to reveal the mechanism and the relationship between damping properties and the sound absorption of the PU-based composite. The results indicate that the internal friction of the molecular segments and the structure stiffness were the two main contributors of the PU-based composite’s consumption of sound energy, and the sound absorption peak and the sound absorption coefficient could be clearly changed by adjusting the dynamic mechanical parameters of the composite. This study will provide helpful guidance to develop the fabrication and engineering applications of the PU-based composite with outstanding underwater sound absorption performance.