Hydroacoustic and hydrodynamic analysis of a propeller-rudder configuration by pressure signal wavelet decomposition and optical techniques

The main scope of the present work is to investigate the mechanisms governing the hydroacoustic field and the hydrodynamic perturbation in a rudder operating in the wake of a marine propeller. The study was based upon detailed velocity and pressure fluctuation measurements on the rudder surface and advanced signal reduction and conditional tools. In particular, a novel methodology was developed and applied to separate out the hydrodynamic and the acoustic contributions in the pressure fluctuation signals. This approach was proven effective to isolate the different fluid dynamic phenomena which are responsible for the noise generation and the structural stresses on the rudder.