Broadband Shock-associated Noise Research Articles

An investigation of shock cell-related noise in an installed, full-scale tactical jet engine using acoustical holography

Shock cells in imperfectly expanded supersonic jet flows have been found to contribute to the noise radiated by these jets. Acoustic phenomena such as screech and broadband shock-associated noise have been linked to the shock cell structure in jets. Acoustical holography has been used to study various jet noise source and radiation characteristics. Holography-based reconstructions near the acoustic source in an installed, full-scale tactical jet engine have yielded features indicative of the known shock cell structure in the jet. This paper presents these results and investigates the characteristics of these features, including their distribution and relative amplitudes.

Nature of unsteady and acoustic behavior in an elliptic sonic jet with aft-deck

An experimental investigation is carried out on the under expanded sonic jet issuing from an elliptic nozzle with aft-deck at two different Mach numbers (Mj). Flow characteristics including shock-cell structure, jet separation, and pressure variation over the aft-deck wall are investigated with the help of schlieren images, oil flow visualization, and steady pressure measurements. A complex shock-structure is found to exist in the x-z and x-y planes due to the shape and curvature of the aft-deck for Mj = 1.35 and 1.56. The shock-induced jet separation is identified at x/L ∼ 0.75 for Mj = 1.56, whereas no separation is identified for Mj = 1.35. Synchronized acoustic and unsteady measurements reveal the coupling between the shock-induced jet separation on the aft-deck wall and the far-field noise emissions. Acoustic spectra elucidate the strong tonal noise component corresponding to the flapping Mode-B at St ∼ 0.68 for Mj = 1.56. Moreover, the noise components including screech tones, broad-band shock-associated noise, and turbulent mixing noise are dominant for the azimuthal angle ϕ = 0°. The dominant flow mode from proper orthogonal decomposition analysis shows the existence of strong jet flapping and upstream-traveling acoustic waves for the separated jet.

Perturbation-based active flow control in overexpanded to underexpanded supersonic rectangular twin jets

The effects of perturbation-based active flow control on supersonic rectangular twin jets (SRTJ) over a wide range of nozzle pressure ratios (NPR = 2.77 to 6.7, corresponding to fully expanded Mach numbers Mj = 1.3 to 1.9) were investigated. The aspect ratio and design Mach number for the bi-conic, converging-diverging nozzles were 2 and 1.5, respectively. The flow and acoustic fields of SRTJ are known to couple, often generating high near-field (NF) pressure fluctuations and elevated far-field (FF) noise levels. Large-scale structures (LSS), or equivalently instability waves or wave packets, are responsible for mixing noise, broadband shock-associated noise, screech and coupling. The primary objective of this research was to manipulate the development of LSS in this complex flow to better understand and mitigate their effects. The organization and passage frequency of the LSS were altered by excitation of instabilities over a wide range of frequencies and modes. Key findings include: (1) the screech mode of each jet was flapping along its minor axis; (2) the jets coupled, out-of-phase primarily in overexpanded cases and in-phase primarily in underexpanded cases, along the minor axis of the SRTJ; (3) coupling has significant effects on the NF pressure fluctuations, but only minor effect on the FF noise; (4) standing waves were observed only on the minor axis plane of the SRTJ; (5) altering or suppressing coupling can significantly reduce NF pressure fluctuations; (6) two high-frequency excitation methods proved effective in reducing the FF noise; and (7) nonlinear interactions between the screech tones and excitation input were observed in controlled cases in which screech was only partially suppressed.

Reduction of noise in cold and hot supersonic jets using active flow control guided by a genetic algorithm

This study demonstrates an experimental platform for active jet noise reduction comprising of an automated system that performs a search for the optimal actuator locations and parameters, powered by a genetic algorithm (GA). Sideline noise reduction levels of 7.3 dB were achieved for a cold overexpanded (nozzle pressure ratio, $NPR=2.8$ ) jet, beyond the state-of-the-art for jet noise reduction with air injection. The reduction in noise was achieved at a mass flow rate of 1.4 % of the main jet, requiring no prior knowledge of the flow physics to inform the placement of the actuators. The same actuator pattern was tested in hot conditions (nozzle temperature ratio, $NTR=1.88$ ), achieving 4.7 dB sideline noise reduction. Detailed examination of the solutions obtained unveils some of the mechanisms leveraged by the GA to accomplish these high levels of noise reduction through microphone measurements and schlieren flow visualization. The GA found that actuating at the diverging wall of the convergent–divergent nozzle, where flow is supersonic, is very effective when combined with air injection near the nozzle lip, outside of the nozzle. Although the external actuation is effective at eliminating the screech tone, it is by actuating inside the nozzle at the diverging wall that sufficient disruption of the shock cell train can be achieved in order to reduce the broadband shock-associated noise.

Near-field coherence analysis of noise from an installed F404 engine

Because phenomena observed in noise radiated from high-performance military aircraft are not fully understood, different analysis techniques can yield complementary insights into their characteristics. Here, a coherence analysis from a 120-microphone near-field array is used to identify and characterize the noise radiation and source-related properties of a T-7A-installed F-404-GE-103 engine over a broad range of frequencies. Some of the noteworthy findings include: a) coherence trends for mixing noise and spatiospectral lobes generally match those observed for previously studied aircraft; and b) bands of coherence between upstream and downstream locations are observed at higher engine powers, suggesting a coherent interaction between upstream broadband shock-associated noise radiation and downstream Mach wave radiation. [Work supported by ONR Grant No. N00014-21-1-2069.]

Jet noise sources for chevron nozzles in under-expanded condition

Imperfectly expanded jet flows are known to have additional noise sources known as Screech and broadband shock-associated noise. They are generated by the interaction between the instability waves that propagate from the lip of the nozzle and the shock cell structures. In this study, thorough experimental investigations were carried out on chevron nozzles to assess the importance of chevron parameters such as the chevron count and chevron penetration angle on the pressure field emitted by the jet. Data were acquired in the state-of-the-art aeroacoustic facility at the University of Bristol. Acoustic measurements such as pressure spectra, directivity and overall sound pressure levels along with near-field measurements were acquired for jet Mach numbers ranging from M = 1.1–1.4. Fourier-based and Wavelet-based analyses were used to highlight the different features of the various tested nozzles. Wavelet decomposition results highlight that the presence of the chevrons reduce the acoustic noise especially at a higher axial distance with increased levels of noise reduction achieved by chevron nozzle with deep penetration angle.

Linear and nonlinear modelling of far-field propagation of broadband shock-associated noise

A triple-scale computational model is implemented to simulate noise generated by a supersonic under-expanded screeching jet corresponding to the LTRAC (Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion) experiment at different distances from the source. The investigation is focused on the broadband-associated noise, which is a prominent feature of the acoustic field of the LTRAC jet. In the jet near-field, the compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved using the high-resolution CABARET Large Eddy Simulation (LES) method accelerated on Graphics Processing Units. The LES solution is substituted in the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW–H) model to obtain the noise solution in the acoustic mid field at 20 initial jet diameters from the jet nozzle exit. The mid-field acoustic solution is used as the input for the spherical generalised Burgers’ equation. The general form of Burgers’ equation is solved numerically in the frequency domain for a wide range of observer distances up to 18 million initial jet diameters, where viscous dissipation fully dominates for most frequencies. To answer the question if the nonlinear acoustic wave propagation effects for the LTRAC jet are important, the nonlinear and linear solutions of Burgers’ equation are compared.

Effects of Expansion Ratio and Nozzle Asymmetry on Flowfield of Diamond Jets

A joint experimental and computational study is performed to quantify the effects of various expansion ratios on the flowfields and acoustic properties of a jet, issuing from a diamond-shaped nozzle. Three expansion ratios are studied corresponding to perfectly expanded, overexpanded, and underexpanded regimes, which progressively increase the far-field acoustic impact. Nozzle asymmetry leads to distinct mean flow properties across the two principal (major/minor) axes of the jets, with the potential core and shock-expansion cells exhibiting a faster collapse on the major axis plane. Asymmetry is also observed in the computed near-field pressure spectra, which exhibits higher amplitudes in the minor axis plane, consistent with the higher far-field sound levels experimentally measured on this plane for all three jets. Near-field spectra also identify three specific bands, corresponding to broadband shock-associated noise (BBSAN), mixing noise, and that associated with nonradiating subsonic convecting eddies. Further analysis of noise mechanisms through the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget shows enhanced levels of TKE on the minor axis plane, resulting from correlations between fluctuations in streamwise and cross-stream velocities, and gradients across the shear layers. Fourier analysis of near-field coherent structures in pressure identified axisymmetric features in the most energetic modes, followed by the first helical mode, which was enhanced in the presence of shock-expansion cells in the imperfectly expanded jets. The most energetic modes in the overexpanded shock-expansion cells have a strong harmonic nature to it, corresponding to the peak frequencies of its near-field BBSAN component.

Flow and Acoustic Fields of Rocket Jets Impinging on a Perforated Plate

The flow and acoustic fields of jets at a Mach number of 3.1 impinging on a plate at of the jet nozzle exit, where is the nozzle diameter, have been investigated using highly resolved large-eddy simulations. The plate is perforated with a hole of diameter , , , or . The full-plate and free-jet cases have also been considered. The pressure levels are highest for the non-perforated plate and decrease as the hole diameter increases. Compared with the free jet, they are higher by about 5 dB for the full plate, 4 dB for and , 3 dB for , and 2 dB for . In the upstream direction, the broadband shock-associated noise is prevailing for the free jet. For the impinging jets, the main noise component in that direction is produced by the impingement of the jet turbulent structures on the plate. In the downstream direction, for the free jet and down to the plate for the impinging jets, the sound field is dominated by Mach waves. Downstream of the perforated plates, waves are generated by interactions between the jet flow and the plate.

Acoustic measurement of under-expanded jet and its numerical prediction

AbstractIntense acoustic loads from jet noise cause noise pollution and induce failures, such as the malfunctioning of electronic devices and fatigue failure of internal/external structures. Consequently, the prediction of jet noise characteristics is crucial in the development of high-speed vehicles. This study presents acoustic experiments and predictions for an under-expanded, unheated jet using a small-scale prototype. Outdoor measurements are carried out using a vertical ejection setup. Acoustic characteristics are measured using both linear and circular microphone arrays. Additionally, numerical prediction of the same jet noise is performed using a detached eddy simulation and the permeable Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings acoustic analogy. The vertical experimental setup exhibits the typical acoustic characteristics of a supersonic jet in terms of directivity and broadband shock-associated noise. Moreover, the numerical prediction exhibits satisfactory accuracy for the jet downstream, where the large-scale turbulence structures of the directivity predominate. However, discrepancy increases in the domain of lower directivity. The presented experiment and prediction will be extended to future studies regarding the noise of various deflector duct configurations impinging on supersonic jets.

Similarity spectra-based decomposition of noise from an installed F404 engine

Similarity spectra analysis has long been a popular method for identifying both the fine-scale and large-scale components of jet noise. For an imperfectly expanded supersonic jet, addition of a broadband shock-associated noise (BSN) model allows spectra to be better represented. A similarity spectra analysis of T-7A-installed GE-F404 engine noise has been performed at conditions ranging from intermediate to full afterburner. The BSN contributions are significant at military and afterburner conditions. The combined model captures the noise reasonably well with some caveats. First, spatiospectral lobes present in the measured noise are not well represented. Second, the measured low-frequency spectral slope is steeper at higher engine conditions in the region of maximum radiation. Third, the measured high-frequency slope is shallower across most of the radiation angles. Fourth, the noise at large inlet angles, beyond the peak radiation lobe, are not well represented by the combined model. The successes (and failures of the model) for different spatial regions and frequencies will aid in developing improved models for noise radiation. [Work supported by ONR.]

A Bayesian approach to eliminate correlated noise using an independent reference-Application to supersonic jet noise extraction.

A Bayesian method to remove correlated noise from multi-channel measurements is introduced. It is based on Bayesian factor analysis coupled with prior but uncertain knowledge of the correlation structure of the noise. This technique is well suited to denoise cross-spectral matrices measured in the frame of aeroacoustic experiments when background noise measurements are available, because it allows separating the engine noise contribution from the turbulent boundary layer and uniform noise components that are all sensed by in-flow microphones. In-flight data measured on flush-mounted microphones on an aircraft fuselage are denoised using this method. It is shown that it has a significant benefit for studying the broadband shock-associated noise generated by the engines in realistic flight conditions.

Broadband shock-associated noise modelling for high-area-ratio under-expanded jets.

Broadband shock-associated noise (BBSAN) is an important component of supersonic jet noise for jets at off-design conditions when the pressure at the nozzle exit is different from the ambient. Two high-area-ratio under-expanded supersonic jets at nozzle pressure ratios (NPRs) 3.4 and 4.2 are considered. The jets correspond to conditions of the experiment in the Laboratory for Turbulence Research in Aerospace and Combustion (LTRAC) in the Supersonic Jet Facility of Monash University. Flow solutions are obtained by the large eddy simulation (LES) and Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) methods. The solutions are validated against the particle image velocimetry (PIV) data. For noise spectra predictions, the LES solution is combined with the time-domain Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings method. To probe the accuracy of the reduced-order method based on acoustic analogy, the RANS solutions are substituted in the Morris and Miller BBSAN method, where different options for modelling of the acoustic correlation scales are investigated. The noise spectra predictions are compared with the experimental data from the non-anechoic LTRAC facility and the NASA empirical sJet model. Apart from the low frequencies influenced by the jet mixing noise, the RANS-based acoustic predictions align with those from LES for most frequencies in the range of Strouhal numbers (St) 0.4 < St < 2 within 1-2 dB.

Analysis of supersonic jet turbulence, fine-scale noise, and shock-associated noise from characteristic, bi-conic, faceted, and fluidic injection nozzles.

Fine-scale mixing noise (FSMN) and broadband shock-associated noise (BBSAN) are the dominant components of supersonic jet noise in the sideline and upstream directions. We use the previously developed statistical FSMN and BBSAN models to compare the noise radiated from three different nozzles, i.e., a method of characteristics nozzle, a bi-conic nozzle, and a faceted nozzle at different operating conditions. A numerical sensitivity analysis is performed using the models by perturbing various model parameters and conditions such as nozzle pressure ratio (NPR), total temperature ratio, area ratio, and boundary layer thickness. We observed that FSMN is most sensitive to NPR and BBSAN is most sensitive to area ratio. We also examine the changes in source statistics and corresponding correlations of the radiated noise using the fluidic injection noise reduction technique. Noise reduction predictions relative to the baseline cases are compared at different operating conditions and similar reduction as the experimental measurements were obtained at over-expanded conditions. Finally, we analyze the noise source locations for both components of jet noise in the sideline direction. The trends predicted in this study increase understanding of the changes in source statistics and radiated noise for different nozzles over a range of operating conditions.

Acoustic shielding and interaction effects for strongly heated supersonic twin jets

The effects of jet interactions and acoustic shielding on the noise of strongly heated supersonic twin jets are studied using large-eddy simulations. For that purpose, one single jet and three twin jets separated by distances of 2, 2.4, and 2.8 jet diameters are considered at a Mach number of 3.1 and a stagnation temperature of 2000 K. The twin jets interact and merge near the end of their potential cores at a position that is shifted downstream when the nozzle spacing increases. For larger nozzle spacing, the turbulence rates in the plane containing the jets are higher whereas those in the jet midplane are lower. In the near pressure field, the overall acoustic power radiated by the twin jets is lower than that for two non-interacting single jets, which indicates that some of the sound sources are weakened by jet interactions. A maximum noise reduction of 2 dB is reached in the jet plane, where the acoustic waves produced by one jet are shielded by the other one. Despite the overall noise reduction, some noise components are stronger for the twin jets, suggesting that they generate additional interaction noise. This is the case for the broadband shock-associated noise component and for the noise radiated at low polar angles in the jet midplane. The intensity of interaction noise increases with the nozzle spacing and varies with the turbulence rates in the inner shear layers at the axial position where the twin jets interact.

Wavepacket modelling of broadband shock-associated noise in supersonic jets

Abstract

A time domain approach for shock noise prediction with decomposition analyses of large-scale coherent turbulent structures in jets

Broadband shock-associated noise (BBSAN) is one dominant component from off-design supersonic jets. A time-domain BBSAN model is proposed and evaluated, which is based on the vector Green’s function solution of the decomposed Navier–Stokes equations. The source term is the scalar product of the anisotropic velocities with the mean pressure gradient. The approach uses large-eddy simulation (LES) databases. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is applied to the scalar source field to extract the large-scale coherent structures associated with BBSAN. The key features of the BBSAN spectra are preserved when only a small fraction of POD modes are used to reconstruct the source field. The leading POD modes of the source term show strong amplification in the observer direction. Noise source contour plots calculated with these POD modes reveal that most noise sources are distributed at the shock-turbulence interactions. Predictions are validated with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings method and experimental data.

Azimuthal decomposition of the radiated noise from supersonic shock-containing jets.

Acoustic measurements of unheated supersonic underexpanded jets with ideally expanded Mach numbers of 1.14, 1.38, and 1.50 are presented. Of the three components of supersonic jet noise, the focus is on the broadband shock-associated noise (BBSAN) component. Motivated by the modelling of BBSAN using the wavepacket framework, a traversable microphone ring is used to decompose the acoustic pressure into azimuthal Fourier modes. Unlike noise radiated downstream, BBSAN is dominated by azimuthal modes 1-3, which are approximately 3-4 dB/St stronger than the axisymmetric component. Crucially, the relative contribution of successive modes to BBSAN is sensitive to the observer angle and jet operating condition. Four azimuthal modes are necessary to reconstruct the total BBSAN signal to within 1 dB/St accuracy for the conditions presented here. The analysis suggests, however, that the number of modes required to maintain this accuracy increases as the peak frequency shifts upward. The results demonstrate the need to carefully consider the azimuthal content of BBSAN when comparing acoustic measurements to predictions made by jet noise models built on instability theory.

Near- and Far-Field Acoustic Measurements for Stepped Nozzles at Over- and Perfectly-Expanded Supersonic Jet Flow Conditions

Abstract Detailed near- and far-field acoustic measurements were conducted for two circular stepped nozzles with 30 deg and 60 deg design inclinations at over- and perfectly-expanded supersonic jet flow conditions and compared to those for a circular nonstepped nozzle. Far-field acoustic results show that stepped nozzles play an insignificant role in altering noise emissions at perfectly expanded condition. At an over-expanded condition, however, the longer stepped nozzle produces significant noise reductions at the sideline and upstream quadrants, while the shorter stepped nozzle does not. Noise spectra analysis and Schlieren visualizations show that noise reduction can be primarily attributed to mitigations in the broadband shock-associated noise (BSAN), due to the ability of the longer stepped nozzle in suppressing shock strengths at downstream region. Near-field acoustic measurements reveal that the source region, as well as the intensity of turbulent and shock noises, are highly sensitive to the stepped nozzle configuration. Furthermore, BSAN seems to be eliminated by the longer stepped nozzle in near-field region due to the shock structure modifications.

Characterizing distinct components of tactical aircraft noise sources

Noise from a tactical aircraft can impact operations due to concerns regarding military personnel noise exposure and community annoyance and disturbance. The efficacy of mission planning can increase when the distinct, complex acoustic source mechanisms creating the noise are better understood. For each type of noise, equivalent acoustic source distributions are obtained from a tied-down F-35B operating at various engine conditions using the hybrid method for acoustic source imaging of Padois, Gauthier, and Berry [J. Sound Vib. 333, 6858-6868 (2014)]. The source distributions for the distinct noise types are obtained using different sections of a 71 element, ground-based linear array. Using a subarray close to the nozzle exit plane, source distributions are obtained for fine-scale turbulent mixing noise and broadband shock-associated noise, although grating lobes complicate interpretations at higher frequencies. Results for a subarray spanning the maximum sound region show that the multiple frequency peaks in tactical aircraft noise appear to originate from overlapping source regions. The observation of overlapping spatial extent of competing noise sources is supported by the coherence properties of the source distributions for the different subarrays.