Sound scattering by bulkheads in cylindrical shells

This paper studies sound scattering from cylindrical shells with internal bulkheads, modeled as circular elastic plates transversely loaded onto the shell. Fourier transformation and angular harmonics decomposition are used to derive solutions in terms of coupling forces and bending moments at the attachment, which themselves are determined by the dynamic balance between the shell and the internal plate, and hence, characterize the sound/shell/plate interactions. These forces and moments are discussed to identify dominant features in the scattering process, and the scattered acoustic field, both monostatic and bistatic, are examined to reveal the characteristics of the scattering. Also discussed are the effects of different attachment conditions on the far-field scattering and the total acoustic power scattered by the bulkhead.