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At least 109 records · Page 6

Correlation of internal surface turbulence with far-field noise of the augmentor wing propulsive-lift concept

A wind tunnel investigation was conducted to determine the nature, strength, and variation with airspeed of the acoustic sources of the augmentor wing propulsive-lift concept. The augmentor wing overall noise is dominated by the high frequency jet mixing noise characteristic of the lobed primary nozzle. The augmentor modifies the intensity and propagation characteristics of the jet sources, especially those that exist inside the augmentor. The interaction of the turbulent flow with the augmentor creates low-frequency, low-intensity surface noise and trailing edge noise. These sources dominate any jet mixing noise that is present at the low frequencies and could become significant if the jet noise was suppressed by treating the augmentor with a lining tuned to the jet noise source location. The far-field noise of the untreated augmentor is unaffected by airspeed; however, this may not be the case when the jet noise is suppressed, because the trailing edge surface pressure and correlations with far-field noise do show a reduction with forward speed.

Falarski, M. D.↗

Low-frequency noise reduction of lightweight airframe structures

The results of an experimental study to determine the noise attenuation characteristics of aircraft type fuselage structural panels were presented. Of particular interest was noise attenuation at low frequencies, below the fundamental resonances of the panels. All panels were flightweight structures for transport type aircraft in the 34,050 to 45,400 kg (75,000 to 100,000 pounds) gross weight range. Test data include the results of vibration and acoustic transmission loss tests on seven types of isotropic and orthotropically stiffened, flat and curved panels. The results show that stiffness controlled acoustically integrated structures can provide very high noise reductions at low frequencies without significantly affecting their high frequency noise reduction capabilities.

Getline, G. L.↗

Possible generation mechanisms of low-frequency waves /less than about 50 Hz/ with application to the bow shock plasma

Generation mechanisms of waves observed at the earth's bow shock or in its vicinity within the frequency range extending up to about 50 Hz are reviewed. Observations and theories regarding waves in the solar wind upstream of the bow shock (both low-frequency 0.01-0.05 Hz and high-frequency 0.5-4 Hz waves), waves in the bow shock itself and magnetosheath waves arising from processes of generation or amplification in the bow shock are considered. Hydromagnetic, ion-acoustic and whistler type waves are discussed.

Dangelo, N.↗

The kilometric radio emission spectrum - Relationship to auroral acceleration processes

Using current theories for the generation of auroral kilometric radiation, the possibilities for obtaining information on the auroral acceleration processes from the spectrum of this radiation are discussed. It is shown, for example, that under certain conditions the low-frequency cutoff provides a direct indication of the upper altitude limit of the acceleration region. What is more, certain discrete features in the kilometric radiation spectrum show a very close similarity to whistler-mode emissions, thereby suggesting that the basic instability mechanisms are quite similar. Certain of these discrete features have frequency drifts which can be interpreted in terms of the propagation of shock-like disturbances along the auroral field lines at velocities near the ion-acoustic speed.

Gurnett, D. A.↗

Stimulation of plasma waves by electron guns on the ISEE-1 satellite

The results of the ISEE-1 satellite experiment relating to observations of the waves stimulated during electron injections, when the spacecraft is passing through the magnetosphere, the magnetosheath, and the solar wind, are discussed. It is shown that the injection of an electron beam current of the order of 10 to 60 microamperes with energies ranging from 0 to 40 eV produces enhancements in the electric wave spectrum. An attempt has been made to identify the low-frequency electrostatic wave observed below the ion plasma frequency as an ion acoustic mode, although the excitation mechanism is not clear. A coupling mechanism between the electron plasma mode and streaming electrons with energies higher than the thermal speed of the cold electron population has been proposed to explain the observations above the electron plasma frequency.

Lebreton, J.-P.↗

High time resolution plasma wave and magnetic field observations of the Jovian bow shock

High time resolution (60 ms) Voyager magnetometer and plasma wave measurements of a strong (fast Mach number 16), quasi-perpendicular Jovian bow shock reveal an abrupt change in the plasma wave spectrum at the leading edge of the shock foot. Upstream electron plasma waves terminate at the leading edge, and are replaced by a lower-frequency broadband spectrum of ion-acoustic-like waves, which terminates at the main shock ramp. The clear association with the foot region of the lower frequency component suggests that it is generated by reflected ions. If the upstream plasma waves are generated by an escaping electron heat flux, their termination at the leading edge suggests that electrons are heated by the low-frequency waves in the shock foot.

Moses, S. L.↗

Low-frequency electrostatic instabilities excited by injections of an electron beam in space

One-dimensional particle simulations have been carried out to study the low-frequency broadband electrostatic noise that propagates almost perpendicularly from the magnetic field line when a nonrelativistic electron beam is injected into space from a spacecraft. For T(e) = T(i) the electrostatic ion cyclotron waves appear as well as the waves near the lower hybrid frequency. When the magnetic field is reduced so that Omega(e) is much less than omega(pe) in a nonisothermal plasma, T(e) greater than T(i) oblique ion acoustic instabilities appear to propagate almost perpendicular to the magnetic field. In addition, a very low frequency mode at omega much less than Omega(i) is found to be generated by the electrons flowing into the conductor. Both the injected beam electrons as well as the ambient electrons flowing into the spacecraft are responsible for generating those instabilities, which accelerate ions perpendicular to the magnetic field.

Hwang, Y. S.↗

Evaluation of discrete frequency sound in closed-test-section wind tunnels

The principal objective of this study is to assess the adequacy of linear acoustic theory with an impedance wall boundary condition for modeling the detailed sound field of an acoustic source in a duct. This study compares measurements and calculations of a simple acoustic source in a rectangular concrete duct lined with foam on the walls and anechoic end terminations. Measuring acoustic pressure for 12 wave numbers provides variation in frequency and absorption characteristics of the duct walls. The cases in this study contain low frequencies and low wall absorptions corresponding to measurements of low-frequency helicopter noise in a lined wind tunnel. This regime is particularly difficult to measure in wind tunnels due to high levels of the reverberant field relatively close to the source. Close to the source, where the interference of wall reflections is minimal, correlation is very good. Away from the source, correlation degrades, especially for the lower frequencies. Sensitivity studies show little effect on the predicted results for changes in impedance boundary condition values, source location, measurement location, temperature, and source model for variations spanning the expected measurement error.

Mosher, Marianne↗

Detection and characterization of fatigue cracks in thin metal plates by low frequency resonant model analysis

Low-frequency resonant model analysis, a technique for the detection and characterization of fatigue cracks in thin metal plates, which could be adapted to rapid scan or large area testing, is considered. Experimental data displaying a direct correlation between fatigue crack geometry and resonance frequency for the second vibrational plate mode are presented. FEM is used to calculate the mechanical behavior of the plates, and provides a comparison basis for the experimentally determined resonance frequency values. The waveform of the acoustic emission generated at the resonant frequency is examined; it provides the basis for a model of the interaction of fatigue crack faces during plate vibration.

Wincheski, B.↗

Dynamics of the solar chromosphere. I - Long-period network oscillations

We analyze differences in solar oscillations between the chromospheric network and internetwork regions from a 1 hr sequence of spectrograms of a quiet region near disk center. The spectrograms contain Ca II H, Ca I 422.7 nm, and various Fe I blends in the Ca II H wing. They permit vertical tracing of oscillations throughout the photosphere and into the low chromosphere. We find that the rms amplitude of Ca II H line center Doppler fluctuations is about 1.5 km/s for both network and internetwork, but that the character of the oscillations differs markedly in these two regions. Within internetwork areas the chromospheric velocity power spectrum is dominated by oscillations with frequencies at and above the acoustic cutoff frequency. They are well correlated with the oscillations in the underlying photosphere, but they are much reduced in the network. In contrast, the network Ca II H line center velocity and intensity power spectra are dominated by low-frequency oscillations with periods of 5-20 min. Their signature is much clearer in our Ca II H line center measurements than in previously used diagnostics which are contaminated by signals from deeper layers. We find that these long-period oscillations are not correlated with underlying photospheric disturbances, and we discuss their nature.

Lites, B. W.↗

Bearing defect signature analysis using advanced nonlinear signal analysis in a controlled environment

Utilizing high-frequency data from a highly instrumented rotor assembly, seeded bearing defect signatures are characterized using both conventional linear approaches, such as power spectral density analysis, and recently developed nonlinear techniques such as bicoherence analysis. Traditional low-frequency (less than 20 kHz) analysis and high-frequency envelope analysis of both accelerometer and acoustic emission data are used to recover characteristic bearing distress information buried deeply in acquired data. The successful coupling of newly developed nonlinear signal analysis with recovered wideband envelope data from accelerometers and acoustic emission sensors is the innovative focus of this research.

Zoladz, T.↗

Variability of accretion disks surrounding black holes: The role of inertial-acoustic mode instabilities

The global nonlinear time-dependent evolution of the inertial-acoustic mode instability in accretion disks surrounding black holes has been investigated. The viscous stress is assumed to be proportional to the gas pressure only, i.e., tau = alphap(sub g). It is found that an oscillatory nonsteady behavior exists in the inner regions of disks (r is less than 10r(sub g) where r(sub g) is the Schwarzschild radius) for sufficiently large alpha(greater than or approximately equal to 0.2) and for mass accretion rates less than about 0.3 times the Eddington value. The variations of the integrated bolometric luminosity from the disk, Delta L/L, are less than 3%. A power spectrum analysis of these variations reveals a power spectrum which can be fitted to a power-law function of the frequency Pis proportional to f(exp -gamma), with index gamma = 1.4-2.3 and a low-frequency feature at about 4 Hz in one case. In addition, a narrow peak centered at a frequency corresponding to the maximum epicyclic frequency of the disk at approximately 100-130 Hz and its first harmonic is also seen. The low-frequency modulations are remarkably similar to those observed in black hole candidate systems. The possible existence of a scattering corona in the inner region of the disk and/or other processes contributing to the power at high frequencies in the inner region of the accretion disk may make the detection of the high-frequency component difficult.

Chen, Xingming↗

Loads Combination Research at Marshall Space Flight Center

This is the result of a study conducted by the Structural Dynamics Division of the Marshall Space Flight Center concerning the combination of low- and high-frequency dynamic loads for spacecraft design. Low-frequency transient loads are combined with high frequency acoustically induced loads to arrive at a limit load, for design purposes. Different methods are used for combining the loads which can lead to considerable variation in limit loads, depending on which NASA Center did the calculation. This study investigates several different combination methods and compares the combination methods with Spacelab 1 flight data. In addition, the relative timing of low- and high-frequency loads is examined.

Ferebee, R.↗

Loads Combination Research at Marshall Space Flight Center

This is the result of a study conducted by the Structural Dynamics Division of the Marshall Space Flight Center concerning the combination of low- and high-frequency dynamic loads for spacecraft design. Low-frequency transient loads are combined with high frequency acoustically induced loads to arrive at a limit load, for design purposes. Different methods are used for combining the loads which can lead to considerable variation in limit loads, depending on which NASA Center did the calculation. This study investigates several different combination methods and compares the combination methods with Spacelab 1 flight data. In addition, the relative timing of low- and high-frequency loads is examined.

Ferebee, R.↗

Elimination of Intermediate-Frequency Combustion Instability in the Fastrac Engine Thrust Chamber

A series of tests were conducted to measure the combustion performance of the Fastrac engine thrust chamber. The thrust chamber exhibited benign, yet marginally unstable combustion. The marginally unstable combustion was characterized by chamber pressure oscillations with large amplitudes and a frequency that was too low to be identified as acoustic or high-frequency combustion instability and too high to be identified as chug or low-frequency combustion instability. The source of the buzz or intermediate-frequency combustion instability was traced to the fuel venturi whose violently noisy cavitation caused resonance in the feedline downstream. Combustion was stabilized by increasing the throat diameter of the fuel venturi such that the cavitation would occur more quietly.

Rocker, Marvin↗

AC Magnetic Field Frequency Dependence of Magnetoacoustic Emission

Our recent study has proved a strong correlation between the low-frequency AC applied magnetic field amplitude dependence of the asymmetry of the magnetoacoustic emission (MAE) burst and the strength of the domain wall-defect interaction in iron-base ferromagnets. For the present study the AC magnetic field frequency dependence of the asymmetry has been investigated in the range of 1 to 200 Hz. When represented by the third moment of the rectified acoustic emission pulses, the asymmetry becomes a bell-shaped function of frequency with its center located around 25 Hz. This experiment has been performed with low carbon, high yield stress steel specimens of three different levels of domain wall-defect interaction strength. The results show that the increase in the interaction strength causes a vertical down shift of the asymmetry in the entire frequency range investigated.

Namkung, M.↗

The Low-Noise Potential of Distributed Propulsion on a Catamaran Aircraft

The noise shielding potential of an inboard-wing catamaran aircraft when coupled with distributed propulsion is examined. Here, only low-frequency jet noise from mid-wing-mounted engines is considered. Because low frequencies are the most difficult to shield, these calculations put a lower bound on the potential shielding benefit. In this proof-of-concept study, simple physical models are used to describe the 3-D scattering of jet noise by conceptualized catamaran aircraft. The Fast Scattering Code is used to predict noise levels on and about the aircraft. Shielding results are presented for several catamaran type geometries and simple noise source configurations representative of distributed propulsion radiation. Computational analyses are presented that demonstrate the shielding benefits of distributed propulsion and of increasing the width of the inboard wing. Also, sample calculations using the FSC are presented that demonstrate additional noise reduction on the aircraft fuselage by the use of acoustic liners on the inboard wing trailing edge. A full conceptual aircraft design would have to be analyzed over a complete mission to more accurately quantify community noise levels and aircraft performance, but the present shielding calculations show that a large acoustic benefit could be achieved by combining distributed propulsion and liner technology with a twin-fuselage planform.

Posey, Joe W.↗

Separating Turbofan Engine Noise Sources Using Auto and Cross Spectra from Four Microphones

The study of core noise from turbofan engines has become more important as noise from other sources such as the fan and jet were reduced. A multiple-microphone and acoustic-source modeling method to separate correlated and uncorrelated sources is discussed. The auto- and cross spectra in the frequency range below 1000 Hz are fitted with a noise propagation model based on a source couplet consisting of a single incoherent monopole source with a single coherent monopole source or a source triplet consisting of a single incoherent monopole source with two coherent monopole point sources. Examples are presented using data from a Pratt& Whitney PW4098 turbofan engine. The method separates the low-frequency jet noise from the core noise at the nozzle exit. It is shown that at low power settings, the core noise is a major contributor to the noise. Even at higher power settings, it can be more important than jet noise. However, at low frequencies, uncorrelated broadband noise and jet noise become the important factors as the engine power setting is increased.

Miles, Jeffrey Hilton↗