Atmospheric effects on sonic boom loudness

Abstract

The effects of sonic boom propagation through nonstandard atmospheres have been studied. Variations in atmospheric temperature, pressure, humidity, and winds can have significant impact on the structure of the shock waves in the boom signal, as well as the propagation path of the boom. In the study, a hybrid time‐frequency domain code was used to calculate finely resolved sonic boom signals for a variety of atmospheric conditions. Idealized near–field signals for low amplitude ‘‘N‐wave’’ and ‘‘shaped’’ booms were used to calculate ground level signals. The perceived level metric of Stevens [‘‘Perceived level of noise by Mark VII and decibels (E),’’ J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 51, 575–601 (1972)] was used to quantify the loudness of the calculated booms. Results of the study will be used to determine the impact of atmospheric variations on the acceptability of sonic booms from future supersonic cruise aircraft.