Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “acoustical methods”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 253 records · Page 14

Turbine blade testing methods

Testing procedures which could be used to model test turbine blades are developed. The methods studied were methods which used and extended current modal testing procedures. An acoustical impacting testing method was perfected for testing small turbine blades.

Source record↗

Analysis of random structure-acoustic interaction problems using coupled boundary element and finite element methods

A coupled boundary element (BEM)-finite element (FEM) approach is presented to accurately model structure-acoustic interaction systems. The boundary element method is first applied to interior, two and three-dimensional acoustic domains with complex geometry configurations. Boundary element results are very accurate when compared with limited exact solutions. Structure-interaction problems are then analyzed with the coupled FEM-BEM method, where the finite element method models the structure and the boundary element method models the interior acoustic domain. The coupled analysis is compared with exact and experimental results for a simplistic model. Composite panels are analyzed and compared with isotropic results. The coupled method is then extended for random excitation. Random excitation results are compared with uncoupled results for isotropic and composite panels.

Mei, Chuh↗

Comparison of cross-spectral and signal enhancement methods for mapping steady-state acoustic fields in turbomachinery ducts

The conceptual differences between the following two approaches used to measure spatial variations in steady-state acoustic pressure amplitude were examined: taking the cross spectrum between two signals from probes in the same field or taking the difference in complex Fourier transform of enhanced probe signals. Each approach is used to analyze pressure data from the inlets of two different turbomachines. A complete mapping of this steady-state field may then be used to determine its modal content. A problem with long term nonstationarity was found with both methods. Conditions for equivalence of the two methods are discussed.

Posey, J. W.↗

Lift-Off Acoustics Prediction of Clustered Rocket Engines in the Near Field

This slide presentation presents a method of predicting acoustics during lift-off of the clustered rocket engines in the near field. Included is a definition of the near field, and the use of deflectors and shielding. There is discussion about the use of PAD, a software system designed to calculate the acoustic levels from the lift of of clustered rocket enginee, including updates to extend the calculation to directivity, water suppression, and clustered nozzles.

Vu, Bruce↗

Comparison of Modal Analysis Methods Applied to a Vibro-Acoustic Test Article

Modal testing of a vibro-acoustic test article referred to as the Aluminum Testbed Cylinder (ATC) has provided frequency response data for the development of validated numerical models of complex structures for interior noise prediction and control. The ATC is an all aluminum, ring and stringer stiffened cylinder, 12 feet in length and 4 feet in diameter. The cylinder was designed to represent typical aircraft construction. Modal tests were conducted for several different configurations of the cylinder assembly under ambient and pressurized conditions. The purpose of this paper is to present results from dynamic testing of different ATC configurations using two modal analysis software methods: Eigensystem Realization Algorithm (ERA) and MTS IDEAS Polyreference method. The paper compares results from the two analysis methods as well as the results from various test configurations. The effects of pressurization on the modal characteristics are discussed.

Pritchard, Jocelyn↗

Random and systematic measurement errors in acoustic impedance as determined by the transmission line method

The effect of random and systematic errors associated with the measurement of normal incidence acoustic impedance in a zero-mean-flow environment was investigated by the transmission line method. The influence of random measurement errors in the reflection coefficients and pressure minima positions was investigated by computing fractional standard deviations of the normalized impedance. Both the standard techniques of random process theory and a simplified technique were used. Over a wavelength range of 68 to 10 cm random measurement errors in the reflection coefficients and pressure minima positions could be described adequately by normal probability distributions with standard deviations of 0.001 and 0.0098 cm, respectively. An error propagation technique based on the observed concentration of the probability density functions was found to give essentially the same results but with a computation time of about 1 percent of that required for the standard technique. The results suggest that careful experimental design reduces the effect of random measurement errors to insignificant levels for moderate ranges of test specimen impedance component magnitudes. Most of the observed random scatter can be attributed to lack of control by the mounting arrangement over mechanical boundary conditions of the test sample.

Parrott, T. L.↗

Determination of the viscous acoustic field for liquid drop positioning/forcing in an acoustic levitation chamber in microgravity

The development of acoustic levitation systems has provided a technology with which to undertake droplet studies as well as do containerless processing experiments in a microgravity environment. Acoustic levitation chambers utilize radiation pressure forces to position/manipulate the drop. Oscillations can be induced via frequency modulation of the acoustic wave, with the modulated acoustic radiation vector acting as the driving force. To account for tangential as well as radial forcing, it is necessary that the viscous effects be included in the acoustic field. The method of composite expansions is employed in the determination of the acoustic field with viscous effects.

Lyell, Margaret J.↗

Numerical computation of steady-state acoustic disturbances in flow

Two time domain methods for computing two dimensional steady-state acoustic disturbances propagating through internal subsonic viscous flow fields in the presence of variable area are investigated. The first method solves the Navier-Stokes equations for the combined steady and acoustic field together and subtracts the steady flow to obtain the acoustic field. The second method solves a system of perturbation equations to obtain the acoustic disturbances, making use of a separate steady flow computation as input to the system. In each case the periodic steady-state acoustic fluctuations are obtained numerically on a supercomputer using a second order unsplit explicit MacCormack predictor-corrector method. Results show that the first method is not very effective for computing acoustic disturbances of even moderate amplitude. It appears that more accurate steady flow algorithms are required for this method to succeed. On the other hand, linear and nonlinear acoustic disturbances extracted from the perturbation approach are shown to exhibit expected behavior for the problems considered. It is also found that inflow boundary conditions for an equivalent uniform duct can be successfully applied to a nonuniform duct to obtain steady-state acoustic disturbances.

Watson, W. R.↗

Measurement of the absorption coefficient of acoustical materials using the sound intensity method

In this study the possibility of using the two-microphone sound intensity technique to measure the normal incidence and the random incidence sound absorption coefficient was investigated. The normal incidence absorption coefficient was determined by measuring the intensity incidence on the sample and the intensity reflected by the sample placed in an anechoic chamber. The random incidence absorption coefficient was determined by measuring the intensity incident on the sample and the intensity reflected by the sample placed in a reverberation chamber. Absorption coefficient results obtained by the sound intensity technique were compared with standard techniques, namely the reverberation chamber and the standing wave tube. The major advantages of using the sound intensity technique are that it permits 'in situ' measurements and the absorption coefficient for a large range of frequencies can be obtained from a single measurement.

Atwal, Mahabir S.↗

Experimental verification of the asymtotic modal analysis method as applied to a rectangular acoustic cavity excited by structural vibration

An experiment was performed on a rigid wall rectangular acoustic cavity driven by a flexible plate mounted in a quarter of one end wall and excited by white noise. The experiment was designed so that the assumptions of Asymptotic Modal Analysis (AMA) were satisfied for certain bandwidths and center frequencies. Measurements of sound pressure levels at points along the boundaries and incrementally into tbe interior were taken. These were compared with the theoretical results predicted with AMA, and found to be in good agreement, particularly for moderate (1/3 octave) bandwidths and sufficiently high center frequencies. Sound pressure level measurements were also taken well into the cavity interior at various points along the 5 totally rigid walls. The AMA theory, including boundary intensification effects, was shown to be accurate provided the assumption of large number of acoustic modes is satisfied, and variables such as power spectra of the wall acceleration, frequency, and damping are slowly varying in the frequency of bandwidth.

Peretti, L. F.↗

Nonlinear propagation of a wave packet in a two-dimensional acoustically lined duct

The method of multiple scales is used to analyze the nonlinear effects of the gas motion and the acoustic lining material on the propagation and attenuation of a wave packet in a two-dimensional duct of uniform cross section. The partial differential equations describing the space and time variation of amplitudes and phases are obtained and used to show that both the monochromatic waves and the pure amplitude modulated waves are stable. The spatial attenuation of the pure amplitude modulated waves is found to be lower than that of monochromatic waves, while the temporal attenuation of the former waves has a minimum value near the resonant frequency. The nonlinearity shifts the wavenumber and frequency to higher values without changing phase speed for the pure phase modulated waves.

Tsai, M.-S.↗

Numerical computation of echograms in a room: Application to determination of intelligibility

Echogram recordings are used to estimate the acoustic quality of a room. Using two methods based on geometric acoustics, echograms are computed for rooms of irregular shape. The image method and the ray method have been applied to a heptahedral room as well as a conference hall. The results obtained, which have been verified experimentally, permit an estimate of the intelligibility coefficient.

Santon, F.↗

An Approximate Model for the Performance and Acoustic Predictions of Counterrotating Propeller Configurations

An approximate method was developed to analyze and predict the acoustics of a counterrotating propeller configuration. The method employs the analytical techniques of Lock and Theodorsen as described by Davidson to predict the steady performance of a counterrotating configuration. Then, a modification of the method of Lesieutre is used to predict the unsteady forces on the blades. Finally, the steady and unsteady loads are used in the numerical method of Succi to predict the unsteady acoustics of the propeller. The numerical results are compared with experimental acoustic measurements of a counterrotating propeller configuration by Gazzaniga operating under several combinations of advance ratio, blade pitch, and number of blades. In addition, a constant-speed commuter-class propeller configuration was designed with the Davidson method and the acoustics analyzed at three advance ratios. Noise levels and frequency spectra were calculated at a number of locations around the configuration. The directivity patterns of the harmonics in both the horizontal and vertical planes were examined, with the conclusion that the noise levels of the even harmonics are relatively independent of direction whereas the noise levels of the odd harmonics are extremely dependent on azimuthal direction in the horizontal plane. The equations of Succi are examined to explain this behavior.

Denner, Brett William↗

Improving Plating by Use of Intense Acoustic Beams

An improved method of selective plating of metals and possibly other materials involves the use of directed high-intensity acoustic beams. The beams, typically in the ultrasonic frequency range, can be generated by fixed-focus transducers (see figure) or by phased arrays of transducers excited, variously, by continuous waves, tone bursts, or single pulses. The nonlinear effects produced by these beams are used to alter plating processes in ways that are advantageous.

Oeftering, Richard C.↗

Acoustic ground impedance meter

A method and apparatus are presented for measuring the acoustic impedance of a surface in which the surface is used to enclose one end of the chamber of a Helmholz resonator. Acoustic waves are generated in the neck of the resonator by a piston driven by a variable speed motor through a cam assembly. The acoustic waves are measured in the chamber and the frequency of the generated acoustic waves is measured by an optical device. These measurements are used to compute the compliance and conductance of the chamber and surface combined. The same procedure is followed with a calibration plate having infinite acoustic impedance enclosing the chamber of the resonator to compute the compliance and conductance of the chamber alone. Then by subtracting, the compliance and conductance for the surface is obtained.

Zuckerwar, A. J.↗

Generation and Radiation of Acoustic Waves from a 2-D Shear Layer using the CE/SE Method

In the present work, the generation and radiation of acoustic waves from a 2-D shear layer problem is considered. An acoustic source inside of a 2-D jet excites an instability wave in the shear layer, resulting in sound Mach radiation. The numerical solution is obtained by solving the Euler equations using the space time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) method. Linearization is achieved through choosing a small acoustic source amplitude. The Euler equations are nondimensionalized as instructed in the problem statement. All other conditions are the same except that the Crocco's relation has a slightly different form. In the following, after a brief sketch of the CE/SE method, the numerical results for this problem are presented.

Loh, Ching Y.↗