Flow Induced Acoustic Resonances of an Annular Duct With Co-Axial Side Branches

Abstract

This paper investigates the aeroacoustic response of an annular duct with co-axial side branches, and examines the effect of several passive countermeasures. The investigated geometry is inspired by the design of the Roll Posts in the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem® engine, which is currently being developed for the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The effects of design parameters, such as diameter ratio, branch length ratio and thickness of the annular flow on the frequency and resonance intensity of the first acoustic mode are studied experimentally. Numerical simulations of the acoustic mode shapes and frequencies are also performed. The annular flow has been found to excite several acoustic modes, the strongest in all cases being the first acoustic mode, which consists of an antisymmetric quarter wavelength along the length of each branch. The ratios of the branch length and diameter, with respect to the main duct diameter, have been found to have strong effects on the frequency of the acoustic modes. The effects of passive measures to weaken the acoustic coupling between the co-axial branches have been also investigated. These include detuning the co-axial branches, by decreasing the length of one branch, and installing a pair of splitter plates in the annular flow duct.