Acoustics and Aerodynamic Sound

Description

Music, calm speech, whispering leaves fluttering in a breeze are pleasant and desirable sounds. Noise, howling gales, explosions and screeching traffic are less so. A quantitative understanding of the sources of all such sounds can be obtained by careful analysis of the mechanical equations of motion. This is provided by Acoustics and Aerodynamic Sound, which serves as a short, one semester introduction to acoustics and aerodynamic sound at the advanced undergraduate and graduate level. Sound is treated as a branch of fluid mechanics, which is possible because students embarking on an advanced course in acoustics will be familiar with this topic. It is also desirable because an ability to relate acoustic events to hydrodynamic phenomena provides insight into acoustic principles, in particular into the role of vorticity in the mechanics of sound production by vibrating bodies and in the scattering and diffraction of sound.

Michael Howe has more than 30 years of experience in research on fluid mechanics, acoustics, random vibration, and structural mechanics. He is the author of more than 200 refereed journal articles on these and related subjects. His books include Acoustics of Fluid-Structure Interactions; The Theory of Vortex Sound; Hydrodynamics and Sound; and Mathematical Methods for Mechanical Sciences. His expertise in acoustics has been recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, which awarded him the Per Bruel Gold Medal (2000); the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, which awarded him the Aero-Acoustics Medal (2001); and the Institute of Acoustics, which awarded him the Rayleigh Medal (2007).

'This book Acoustics and Aerodynamic Sound is intended as a 'short, one-semester introduction' to the subject for undergraduate and graduate scholars, and, accordingly, it concentrates on fundamental concepts and analytical solutions to simple problems ... The book is clearly and concisely written, and certainly achieves its objective of being a useful text to accompany an academic course.' Craig J. Mead, The Aeronautical Journal