Low-Cost UUV Deployed Self-Scuttling Acoustic Source for Littoral Bottom Surveys

Ocean bottom acoustic surveys are an important component of a number of littoral missions. Knowledge of local ocean bottom acoustic properties is necessary for modern anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and mine and other buried object detection missions to be successful. Bottom-hugging Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs) are a promising tool for conducting these littoral surveys. However, these missions require a well-characterized sound source that must ultimately be expendable. Existing sound sources are too expensive and poorly suited for UUV deployment: a new, small, very low-cost sound source is needed. In this STTR program, Creare proposes to develop a Self-Scuttling Acoustic Source (SSAS) to suit the littoral surveying need of the Navy. Unlike traditional (and expensive) devices, the SSAS will utilize innovative acoustic transmit-only transduction mechanisms designed with low production cost in mind from the beginning. The SSAS will be small enough for at least four units to be carried and deployed from a single UUV, allowing for multiple survey sites to be interrogated in series. To maximize the acoustic performance and minimize the overall cost, we will investigate and compare three different promising transduction mechanisms in Phase I.