STUDY OF SOUND PROPAGATION OVER RANGE-DEPENDENT AND TOPOGRAPHIC GROUND BY FINITE DIFFERENCE MODEL

This paper extends an earlier study on sound propagation over poro-elastic layered ground to range-dependent and topographic ground. The model is based on a pressure–velocity finite-difference formulation and is coded in the computer program PORAC. To highlight the influence of range-dependent parameters and topographic features on sound propagation, four cases are considered: (i) a homogeneous poro-elastic half-space (the base case); (ii) the base case with a zone in the ground with a higher permeability; (iii) the base case with a zone of higher stiffness; (iv) the base case with a rectangular hill. The paper presents typical results of sound propagation in these cases comprising synthetic time histories of overpressure in the atmosphere and ground vibration as well as snapshots of the response of the atmosphere–ground system at selected times. Comparative results in these cases serve to highlight the effect of the various non-homogeneities considered in this study.