The displacement-thickness theory of trailing edge noise

Abstract

The problem of estimating the sound generated by turbulent boundary layer flow over the edge of a rigid half-plane is re-examined. A theory is proposed which is strictly valid at low Strouhal numbers based on boundary layer width, wherein the flow inhomogeneities are specified in terms of the fluctuations in the boundary layer displacement thickness. This enables account to be taken of changes in the properties of the turbulence as it translates past the edge, which are shown to result in the appearance of an acoustic dipole whose axis is aligned with the mean flow, and which supplements the radiation field predicted by conventional methods [1,2]. Detailed comparison is made with acoustic and surface pressures which are calculated according to the evanescent wave theory of edge noise [3–5].