A modeling study on steady-state and transverse dynamic motion of a towed array system

A numerical technique for mathematically modeling the steady-state and transverse dynamic motion of an underwater towed sonar array is presented. The transverse vibration response of the array is modeled using the finite difference method; the array itself is assumed to be nonneutrally buoyant and possesses a complex modulus and hence inherent damping. The results obtained from this model should provide useful information for further studying the beamforming and passive-ranging performance degradation and predicting the self-noise level of the towed array system.