Inert Impulsive Expendable Acoustic Source

Acoustic pressure sources are used for bathymetry research, seismic mapping, and low energy survey methods for aquatic research.  Conventional sources use high energy TNT explosions or combustible gas to create the pressure wave.  These are non-ideal since the pressure magnitude is large and can be harmful to marine life, device handling incurs a degree of risk, and the resultant pressure response is difficult to control.  The current proposal proposes a completely mechanical device that develops the pressure wave using an inert collapsing cavitation void.  The device provides multiple configurability elements to shape the magnitude of the pressure field and control the trigger depth. This unique design approach removes all misfire risk, eliminating the dangers of handling high explosives or combustible materials while providing the solicitation-specified configurability elements.  Beyond the proposed physical design, the program-of-study includes extensive simulation elements which could the device mechanics to the solutions of the pressure wave dynamics, allowing the user to simulate the event prior to actual testing.