Enhancing the noise reduction capability of serrations usinglow-profile vortex generators

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental investigation on improving the noise reduction capability of the trailing edge serrations using vortex generators. Experiments were conducted on a 150 mm chord flat plate at four angle of attack between 0° and 9° and flow speeds of 20-50 m/s. The Reynolds number based on the chord length ranges from 2.1×105 to 5×105. Vane type vortex generators with various heights of h/δ = 0.16-0.25 were placed along with the serration roots, where δ is the boundary layer thickness at the trailing edge without the vortex generators. The aeroacoustic measurements were made with a phased microphone array, and the aerodynamic measurement near the trailing edge was measured using a hot-wire. Additionally, the lift and drag forces were measured by load cells. The source integrated noise spectra showed a slight reduction in the trailing edge noise over a broadband frequency range. The generation of streamwise vortices by vortex generators can be identified in the wake measurement. These streamwise vortices were further found to counteract the cross-flow generated at serration roots, hence improving the performance of the serration. Moreover, the presence of low-profile vortex generators was found to have an insignificant effect on the lift and drag coefficients.