ENSTA-MF207 - Acoustics in Fluid Media (2022-2023)

Acoustics, or the science of sound, is a multi-disciplinary domain at the interface between Mechanics, Life and Earth Science, Material Science, Signal Processing and Cognitive Sciences. Application domains are numerous, from transportation systems (ground, air and maritime transportation), to environment (impact of noise on humans and animals), buildings, imaging (in geosciences and biology), or entertainment (home or professional audio, virtual reality, room acoustics).
The main course objective is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge needed to calculate acoustic fields in fluid media and to process acoustic signals. The presentation starts with the description of propagation in free space and is then extended to the description of acoustical phenomena in waveguides, rooms and cavities. Sound-structure interactions, electroacoustics and basic signal processing methods are also tackled during the course, with practical computer sessions. Finally, an introduction to sound perception by the human ear is given.
All along the course, these notions are illustrated by sound examples, visual documents and simple demonstrations from different acoustical domains: transportation noise, underwater acoustics, characterization of acoustic materials, industrial noise, musical acoustics, room acoustics, electroacoustics.