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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.

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At least 127 records · Page 7

Conceptual Design and Validation of a Bent-Perforation-Path Acoustic Liner

An acoustic liner concept is developed that increases the effective thickness of perforate sheet holes by bending the perforation paths within the facesheet. This significantly increases both the viscous-loss resistance and mass reactance properties of the acoustic liner, creating low-frequency absorption utilizing a small amount of liner volume. An initial concept is designed, 3D-printed, and tested in a normal-incidence impedance tube to verify the acoustic properties. Comparisons to an impedance model are shown with good agreement to test data, although further work needs to be done to more accurately capture the losses associated with bends within the hole. Follow-on concepts are also discussed that attempt to address the current shortcomings of the initial design.

acoustic liner perforate impedance↗

Detecting single gravitons with quantum sensing

The quantization of gravity is widely believed to result in gravitons – particles of discrete energy that form gravitational waves. But their detection has so far been considered impossible. Here we show that signatures of single graviton exchange can be observed in laboratory experiments. We show that stimulated and spontaneous single-graviton processes can become relevant for massive quantum acoustic resonators and that stimulated absorption can be resolved through continuous sensing of quantum jumps. We analyze the feasibility of observing the exchange of single energy quanta between matter and gravitational waves. Our results show that single graviton signatures are within reach of experiments. In analogy to the discovery of the photo-electric effect for photons, such signatures can provide the first experimental clue of the quantization of gravity.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Measured acoustic properties of variable and low density bulk absorbers

Experimental data were taken to determine the acoustic absorbing properties of uniform low density and layered variable density samples using a bulk absober with a perforated plate facing to hold the material in place. In the layered variable density case, the bulk absorber was packed such that the lowest density layer began at the surface of the sample and progressed to higher density layers deeper inside. The samples were placed in a rectangular duct and measurements were taken using the two microphone method. The data were used to calculate specific acoustic impedances and normal incidence absorption coefficients. Results showed that for uniform density samples the absorption coefficient at low frequencies decreased with increasing density and resonances occurred in the absorption coefficient curve at lower densities. These results were confirmed by a model for uniform density bulk absorbers. Results from layered variable density samples showed that low frequency absorption was the highest when the lowest density possible was packed in the first layer near the exposed surface. The layers of increasing density within the sample had the effect of damping the resonances.

Dahl, M. D.↗

Dielectric loss due to charged-defect acoustic phonon emission

The coherence times of state-of-the-art superconducting qubits are limited by bulk dielectric loss, yet the microscopic mechanism leading to this loss is unclear. Here, we propose that the experimentally observed loss can be attributed to the presence of charged defects that enable the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by the emission of acoustic phonons. Our explicit derivation of the absorption coefficient for this mechanism allows us to derive a loss tangent of 7.2 × 10−9 for Al2O3, in good agreement with recent high-precision measurements [Read et al., Phys. Rev. Appl. 19, 034064 (2023)]. We also find that for temperatures well below ∼0.2 K, the loss should be independent of temperature, which is also in agreement with observations. Our investigations show that the loss per defect depends mainly on properties of the host material, and a high-throughput search suggests that diamond, cubic BN, AlN, and SiC are optimal in this respect.

Turiansky, Mark E. (ORCID:0000000291543582)↗

Toward Fully 3D-Printed Two Degree of Freedom Acoustic Liners

An acoustic liner optimization tool is developed for designing two degree of freedom (2DOF) liners with high absorption over a wide range of frequencies and sound pressure levels (SPLs). Two additively manufactured 2DOF liners (one constant and one variable chamber depth) are designed and printed with an embedded perforate layer as the septum. A normal incidence impedance tube study is performed to directly compare impedance and absorption spectra to a more traditionally manufactured 2DOF liner with embedded mesh caps in phenolic honeycomb. Comparisons of test data to predictions are shown as well as SPL sensitivities for each acoustic liner. Broadband absorption is achieved with the 3D printed 2DOF liner containing constant chamber depths, although due to current limitations in printed embedded perforate hole size, not as broad as the traditional mesh cap liner. However, results also show that the 3D printed variable chamber depth sample is more comparable to the mesh cap liner absorption, demonstrating the viability of printed embedded perforates in novel concepts.

acoustic liner 2DOF two degree of freedom 3D print↗

Low-frequency rotational noise in closed-test-section wind tunnels

The effects of closed-section wind-tunnel walls on the sound field radiated from a helicopter rotor are investigated by means of numerical simulations, summarizing the findings reported by Mosher (1986). The techniques used to model the rotor and the test section (including geometry, wall absorption, and measurement location) are outlined, and the results are presented in extensive tables and graphs. It is found that first-harmonic acoustic measurements obtained in a hard-walled wind tunnel twice as wide as the rotor diameter do not accurately represent the free-field rotational noise, that the relationship between the sound-pressure levels in the wind tunnel and in the free field is complex, that multiple near-field measurements are needed to characterize the direct acoustic field of the rotor, and that absorptive linings are of little value in enlarging the accurate-measurement zone.

Mosher, Marianne↗

Acoustic Holography of the Solar Convection Zone with SOHO-MDI Observations

The original grant with the title stated above was NAG5-10984, awarded to the Solar Physics Research Corporation (SPRC) in July, 2001, and was to be a three-year project. The basic theme of the project was the development and application of computational seismic holography for imaging, diagnostics, and monitoring of magnetic anomalies beneath active regions, in the deep solar interior, and on the Sun's far surface. The project was roughly separated into the following five tasks: (1) A holographic survey of active regions. (2) p-Mode absorption diagnostics of magnetic regions. (3) Acoustic modeling of the shallow subphotospheres of active regions and the quiet-Sun supergranulation based on phase-correlation seismic holography. (4) Seismic holography of the deep convection zone. (5) Improvements in holographic imaging of the far surface of the Sun. Following the death of Karen Harvey, President of SPRC, during the first year, the grant was transferred to Northwest Research Associates as NAG5-12901. Substantial but progress had been made on most of the above tasks in the first year under NAG5-10984, but none were completed. This work was continued under NAG5-12901.

Lindsey, Charles↗

A study of Propfan propagation noise

A study of Propfan far-field noise is carried out based on geometrical acoustics theory. The analysis traces the acoustic rays and ray tube areas carrying the acoustic disturbances to the far-field. Sound attenuation due to nonlinear steepening, atmospheric absorption and turbulence scattering are also investigated. A comparison of our prediction methodology with experimental acoustics measurement shows good agreement. Geometrical decay and atmospheric absorption are identified as the primary noise attenuating mechanisms. Nonlinear effects are negligible. It is determined that the acoustic footprints of advanced propellers are dominated by caustics. Details of the formation of these caustics may provide a basis for future noise minimization efforts.

Sim, Ben W.-C.↗

Acoustic propagation in curved ducts with extended reacting wall treatment

A finite-element Galerkin formulation was employed to study the attenuation of acoustic waves propagating in two-dimensional S-curved ducts with absorbing walls without a mean flow. The reflection and transmission at the entrance and the exit of a curved duct were determined by coupling the finite-element solutions in the curved duct to the eigenfunctions of an infinite, uniform, hard wall duct. In the frequency range where the duct height and acoustic wave length are nearly equal, the effects of duct length, curvature (duct offset) and absorber thickness were examined. For a given offset in the curved duct, the length of the S-duct was found to significantly affect both the absorptive and reflective characteristics of the duct. A means of reducing the number of elements in the absorber region was also presented. In addition, for a curved duct, power attenuation contours were examined to determine conditions for maximum acoustic power absorption. Again, wall curvature was found to significantly effect the optimization process.

Baumeister, Kenneth J.↗

Acoustic Test Characterization of Melamine Foam for Usage in NASA's Payload Fairing Acoustic Attenuation Systems

The external acoustic liftoff levels predicted for NASA's future heavy lift launch vehicles are expected to be significantly higher than the environment created by today's commercial launch vehicles. This creates a need to develop an improved acoustic attenuation system for future NASA payload fairings. NASA Glenn Research Center initiated an acoustic test series to characterize the acoustic performance of melamine foam, with and without various acoustic enhancements. This testing was denoted as NEMFAT, which stands for NESC Enhanced Melamine Foam Acoustic Test, and is the subject of this paper. Both absorption and transmission loss testing of numerous foam configurations were performed at the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratory in July 2013. The NEMFAT test data provides an initial acoustic characterization and database of melamine foam for NASA. Because of its acoustic performance and lighter mass relative to fiberglass blankets, melamine foam is being strongly considered for use in the acoustic attenuation systems of NASA's future launch vehicles.

Hughes, William O.↗

Acoustic Test Characterization of Melamine Foam for Usage in NASA's Payload Fairing Acoustic Attenuation Systems

The external acoustic liftoff levels predicted for NASA's future heavy lift launch vehicles are expected to be significantly higher than the environment created by today's commercial launch vehicles. This creates a need to develop an improved acoustic attenuation system for future NASA payload fairings. NASA Glenn Research Center initiated an acoustic test series to characterize the acoustic performance of melamine foam, with and without various acoustic enhancements. This testing was denoted as NEMFAT, which stands for NESC Enhanced Melamine Foam Acoustic Test, and is the subject of this paper. Both absorption and transmission loss testing of numerous foam configurations were performed at the Riverbank Acoustical Laboratory in July 2013. The NEMFAT test data provides an initial acoustic characterization and database of melamine foam for NASA. Because of its acoustic performance and lighter mass relative to fiberglass blankets, melamine foam is being strongly considered for use in the acoustic attenuation systems of NASA's future launch vehicles.

Hughes, William O.↗

Optimization and Control of Acoustic Liner Impedance with Bias Flow

Because communities are impacted by steady increases in aircraft traffic, aircraft noise continues to be a growing problem for the growth of commercial aviation. Research has focused on improving the design of specific high noise source areas of aircraft and on noise control measures to alleviate noise radiated from aircraft to the surrounding environment. Engine duct liners have long been a principal means of attenuating engine noise. The ability to control in-situ the acoustic impedance of a liner would provide a valuable tool to improve the performance of liners. The acoustic impedance of a liner is directly related to the sound absorption qualities of that liner. Increased attenuation rates, the ability to change liner acoustic impedance to match various operating conditions, or the ability to tune a liner to more precisely match design impedance represent some ways that in-situ impedance control could be useful. With this in mind, the research to be investigated will focus on improvements in the ability to control liner impedance using a mean flow through the liner which is referred to as bias flow.

Wood, Houston↗

Experimental Evaluation of Tuned Chamber Core Panels for Payload Fairing Noise Control

Analytical models have been developed to predict the sound absorption and sound transmission loss of tuned chamber core panels. The panels are constructed of two facesheets sandwiching a corrugated core. When ports are introduced through one facesheet, the long chambers within the core can be used as an array of low-frequency acoustic resonators. To evaluate the accuracy of the analytical models, absorption and sound transmission loss tests were performed on flat panels. Measurements show that the acoustic resonators embedded in the panels improve both the absorption and transmission loss of the sandwich structure at frequencies near the natural frequency of the resonators. Analytical predictions for absorption closely match measured data. However, transmission loss predictions miss important features observed in the measurements. This suggests that higher-fidelity analytical or numerical models will be needed to supplement transmission loss predictions in the future.

Schiller, Noah H.↗

Photochemically induced acousto-optics in gases

Acousto-optics consists of launching acoustic waves in a medium (usually a crystal) in order to modulate its refractive index and create a tunable optical grating. Here, in this article, we present the theoretical basis of an alternative scheme to generate acousto-optics in a gas, where the acoustic waves are initiated by the localized absorption (and thus gas heating) of spatially modulated UV light, as was demonstrated by Michine and Yoneda [Commun. Phys. 3, 24 (2020)]. We identify the chemical reactions initiated by the absorption of UV light via the photodissociation of ozone molecules present in the gas, and calculate the resulting temperature increase in the gas as a function of space and time. Solving the Euler fluid equations shows that the modulated, isochoric heating initiates a mixed acoustic-entropy wave in the gas, whose high-amplitude density (and thus refractive index) modulation can be used to manipulate a high-power laser. We calculate that diffraction efficiencies near 100% can be obtained using only a few millimeters of gas containing a few percent ozone fraction at room temperature, with UV fluences of less than 100 mJ/cm 2 —consistent with the experimental measurements. Our analysis suggests possible ways to optimize the diffraction efficiency by changing the buffer gas composition. Gases have optics damage thresholds 2–3 orders of magnitude beyond those of solids; these optical elements should therefore be able to manipulate kilojoule-class lasers.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A theoretical approach to sound propagation and radiation for ducts with suppressors

The several phenomena involved in theoretical prediction of the far-field sound radiation attenuation from an acoustically lined duct were studied. These include absorption by the suppressor, termination reflections, and far-field radiation. Extensive parametric studies show that the suppressor absorption performance can be correlated with mode cut-off ratio or angle of propagation. The other phenomena can be shown to depend explicitly upon mode cut-off ratio. A complete system can thus be generated which can be used to evaluate aircraft sound suppressors and which can be related to the sound source through the cut-off ratio-acoustic power distribution. Although the method is most fully developed for inlet suppressors, several aft radiated noise phenomena are also discussed. This simplified suppressor design and evaluation method is summarized, the recent improvements in the technique are presented, and areas where further refinement is necessary are discussed. Noise suppressor data from engine experiments are compared with the theoretical calculations.

Rice, E. J.↗

Phenomenological Theory of the Translational Relaxation Times in Gases

The exact solution to the classical equations governing the translational dispersion and absorption of sound in a gas obscures its relaxational character because of its mathematical complexity. The approach taken here is to solve the secular equation by the method of Pade approximants, which even to the relatively low order R(sub 11) yields a remarkably close approximation to the exact solution over a wide range of frequency/pressure (f/P) ratios. As a result, translational relaxation can be formulated in terms of a conventional relaxation process with well-defined relaxation times, relaxation strength, collision numbers, additivity relations, etc. To extend the theory to high values of f/P ratio, a model is proposed to account for the noncontinuum behavior of the transport coefficients (viscosity and thermal conductivity) as the molecular mean free path approaches the acoustical enclosure dimensions. The theoretical dispersion and absorption show good agreement with measurements in argon over the classical and transition regions of f/P, but a discrepancy appears at higher values of f/P, where collective propagating modes, assumed in the theory, give way to single-particle modes, prevailing in the experiments.

Zuckerwar, Allan J.↗

Transmission Loss and Absorption of Corrugated Core Sandwich Panels With Embedded Resonators

The effect of embedded resonators on the diffuse field sound transmission loss and absorption of composite corrugated core sandwich panels has been evaluated experimentally. Two 1.219 m × 2.438 m panels with embedded resonator arrangements targeting frequencies near 100 Hz were evaluated using non-standard processing of ASTM E90-09 acoustic transmission loss and ASTM C423-09a room absorption test measurements. Each panel is comprised of two composite face sheets sandwiching a corrugated core with a trapezoidal cross section. When inlet openings are introduced in one face sheet, the chambers within the core can be used as embedded acoustic resonators. Changes to the inlet and chamber partition locations allow this type of structure to be tuned for targeted spectrum passive noise control. Because the core chambers are aligned with the plane of the panel, the resonators can be tuned for low frequencies without compromising the sandwich panel construction, which is typically sized to meet static load requirements. Absorption and transmission loss performance improvements attributed to opening the inlets were apparent for some configurations and inconclusive for others.

Allen, Albert R.↗