Propeller-shaft-hull coupled vibration and its impact on acoustic radiation utilizing sono-elasticity theory

A strategy is employed to address the coupling among propeller, shaft, hull and its contribution to acoustic radiation using the three-dimensional sono-elasticity method (Zou et al., 2010, 2014). Different from our previous work, the local resonance of the elastic propeller is taken into account which makes a significant difference in the response. Further, its impact on acoustic radiation is also analyzed. Through numerical discussion, it is indicated that the coupled acoustic radiation has peaks at the frequencies of the longitudinal modes of the hull, the longitudinal mode of the shaft system, and the umbrella mode of the propeller. The propeller damping could affect the coupled acoustic radiation significantly. This work would lend itself to further acoustic optimization of ships driven by propellers through relatively long shafts.