The interaction of acoustic fields with submerged elastic structures, both by propagation and scattering, is being investigated at various institutions and laboratories world-wide with ever-increasing sophistication of experiments and analysis. This book offers a collection of contributions from these research centres that represent the present state-of-the-art in the study of acoustic elastic interaction, being on the cutting edge of these investigations. This includes the description of acoustic scattering from submerged elastic objects and shells by the resonance scattering theory of Flax, Dragonette and Uberall, and the interaction of these phenomena in terms of interface waves. It also includes the use of this theory for the purpose of inverse scattering, ie. the determination of the scattered objects properties from the received acoustic backscattered signals. The problem of acoustically excited waves in inhomogeneous and anisotropic materials, and of inhomogeneous propagating waves is considered. Vibrations and resonances of elastic shells, including shells with various kinds of internal attachments, are analyzed. Acoustic scattering experiments are described in the time domain, and on the basis of the Wigner-Ville distribution. Acoustic propagation in the water column over elastic boundaries is studied experimentally both in laboratory tanks, and in the field, and is analyzed theoretically. Ultrasonic nondestructive testing, including such aspects like probe modelling, scattering by various types of cracks, receiving probes and calibration by a side-drilled hole is also studied in detail. A comprehensive picture of these complex phenomena and other aspects is presented in the book by researchers that are experts in each of these domains, giving up-to-date accounts of the field in all these aspects.
