Frequency Dependencies of Acoustic Properties in Water-Saturated Sandy Sediment from 0.5 to 1.0 MHz: Application of the Modified Biot-Attenborough Model

In the present study, the modified Biot-Attenborough (MBA) model for acoustic wave propagation in fluid-saturated porous media was applied to predict the frequency dependencies of the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient for the fast wave in water-saturated sandy sediment. Measurements of the phase velocity and the attenuation coefficient were performed over a frequency range from 0.5 to 1.0 MHz for water-saturated sandy sediment with a mean grain diameter of 400 mu m and a porosity of 40 %. The experimental results revealed that the phase velocity exhibited a slightly negative dispersion linearly with the frequency and that the attenuation coefficient increased almost linearly with the frequency. The measurements were in good agreement with the model predictions over the frequency range covered here. Further studies will be required in frequency ranges not covered by existing data in order to establish completely the adequacy of the MBA model.