The solvers incorporated into dBSea to predict the underwater sound field comprise the most popular calculation methods used in the underwater acoustics industry. The different solver algorithms each find application with different types of problems, adding up to an overall package that covers many underwater acoustics scenarios. These solvers make dBSea a robust and reliable tool for consultants and other technical professionals.
dBSeaPE - parabolic equation method
The dBSeaPE solver makes use of the parabolic equation method, a versatile and robust method of marching the sound field out in range from the sound source. This method is one of the most widely used in the underwater acoustics community, and offers excellent performance in terms of speed and accuracy in a range of challenging scenarios.
dBSeaRay - ray tracing method
The dBSeaRay solver forms a solution by tracing rays from the source to the receiver. A large number of rays leave the source covering a range of angles, and the sound level at each point in the receiving field is calculated by coherently summing the components from each ray.
dBSeaModes - normal modes method
The normal modes are calculated for each water depth, based on the sediment properties and water sound speed profile. The sound field is calculated by assuming that energy only travels outward from the source, and that energy is not passed between modes (adiabatic assumption), leading to coupled mode equations.
User defined equation
The user can use two rapid solvers (20 log and 10 log) and a user defined equation for quick evaluation of problems.