Buried targets in layered media: A combined finite element/physical acoustics model and comparison to data on a half buried 2:1 cylinder

Previously, a combined finite element/physical acoustics model for proud targets [K. L. Williams, S. G. Kargl, E. I. Thorsos, D. S. Burnett, J. L. Lopes, M. Zampolli, and P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 3356–3371 (2010)] was compared to both higher fidelity finite element models and to experimental data for a proud 2:1 aluminum cylinder. Here that expression is generalized to address the case of a target buried in a layered media. The result is compared to data acquired for the same 2:1 cylinder but half buried in a mud layer that covers the sand sediment (considered here as infinite in extent below the mud layer). The generalized expression reduces to both the previous proud result and to the result for a target buried in an infinite medium under the appropriate limiting conditions. The model/data comparisons shown include both the previous proud model and data results along with the ones for the half buried cylinder. The comparison quantifies the reduction in target strength as a function of frequency in the half buried case relative to the proud case.