Investigation of flow features and acoustic radiation of a round cavity

Abstract

In this work, the interaction between a boundary layer and a circular cylindrical cavity is studied. Experimental pressure and velocity results for a cavity of diameter 10cm and depth ranging from 10 to 15cm are described, for flow velocities between 50 and 110ms−1. This flow configuration is found to generate intense discrete depth- and flow-dependent tones, resulting in modes similar in appearance to Rossiter modes found in shallow rectangular cavities. Differences between the cylindrical cavity's mean flow and that of a similarly sized rectangular cavity are highlighted. The development of the shear layer is quantified, in terms of thickening and of velocity statistics profiles. Radial and azimuthal acoustic modes are observed in the acoustic field inside the cavity. A feedback model based on the coupled behaviour of the fundamental acoustic depth mode of the cavity and the large scale dynamics of the shear layer is constructed, and its response is compared to experimental data. A good qualitative agreement between available data and modeled behaviour is observed, allowing the two acoustic modes found in this work to be attributed to the interaction of the shear layer with the cavity's fundamental depth mode.