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At least 163 records · Page 9

Acoustic Radiation from High-Speed Turbulent Boundary Layers in a Tunnel-Like Environment

Direct numerical simulation of acoustic radiation from a turbulent boundary layer in a cylindrical domain will be conducted under the flow conditions corresponding to those at the nozzle exit of the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel (BAM6QT) operated under noisy-flow conditions with a total pressure p(sub t) of 225 kPa and a total temperature of T(sub t) equal to 430 K. Simulations of acoustic radiation from a turbulent boundary layer over a flat surface are used as a reference configuration to illustrate the effects of the cylindrical enclosure. A detailed analysis of acoustic freestream disturbances in the cylindrical domain will be reported in the final paper along with a discussion pertaining to the significance of the flat-plate acoustic simulations and guidelines concerning the modeling of the effects of an axisymmetric tunnel wall on the noise field.

Duan, Lian↗

Rotor-vortex interaction noise

A theoretical and experimental study was conducted to develop a validated first principles analysis for predicting noise generated by helicopter main-rotor shed vortices interacting with the tail rotor. The generalized prediction procedure requires a knowledge of the incident vortex velocity field, rotor geometry, and rotor operating conditions. The analysis includes compressibility effects, chordwise and spanwise noncompactness, and treats oblique intersections with the blade planform. Assessment of the theory involved conducting a model rotor experiment which isolated the blade-vortex interaction noise from other rotor noise mechanisms. An isolated tip vortex, generated by an upstream semispan airfoil, was convected into the model tail rotor. Acoustic spectra, pressure signatures, and directivity were measured. Since assessment of the acoustic prediction required a knowledge of the vortex properties, blade-vortes intersection angle, intersection station, vortex stength, and vortex core radius were documented. Ingestion of the vortex by the rotor was experimentally observed to generate harmonic noise and impulsive waveforms.

Schlinker, R. H.↗

Determination of Residual Stress in Composite Materials Using Ultrasonic Waves

The performance of high temperature composites can be significantly affected by the presence of residual stresses. These stresses arise during cooling processes from fabrication to room temperature due to mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between matrix and fiber materials. This effect is especially pronounced in metal matrix and intermetallic composites. It can lead to plastic deformations, matrix cracking and fiber/matrix interface debonding. In this work the feasibility of ultrasonic techniques for residual stress assessment in composites is addressed. A novel technique for absolute stress determination in orthotropic materials from angular dependencies of ultrasonic velocities is described. The technique is applicable for determination of both applied and residual stresses and does not require calibration measurements on a reference sample. The important advantage of this method is that stress is determined simultaneously with stress-dependent elastic constants and is thus decoupled from the material texture. It is demonstrated that when the principal plane stress directions coincide with acoustical axes, the angular velocity data in the plane perpendicular to the stress plane may be used to determine both stress components. When the stress is off the acoustical axes, the shear and the difference of the normal stress components may be determined from the angular dependence of group velocities in the plane of stresses. Synthetic sets of experimental data corresponding to materials with different anisotropy and stress levels are used to check the applicability of the technique. The method is also verified experimentally. A high precision ultrasonic wave transmission technique is developed to measure angular dependence of ultrasonic velocities. Examples of stress determination from experimental velocity data are given. A method is presented for determination of velocities of ultrasonic waves propagating through the composite material with residual stresses. It is based on the generalized self-consistent multiple scattering model. Calculation results for longitudinal and shear ultrasonic wave velocities propagating perpendicular to the fibers direction in SCS-6/Ti composite with and without residual stresses are presented. They show that velocity changes due to presence of stresses are of order 1%.

Rokhlin, S. I.↗

The Prediction of Jet Noise Ground Effects Using an Acoustic Analogy and a Tailored Green's Function

An assessment of an acoustic analogy for the mixing noise component of jet noise in the presence of an infinite surface is presented. The reflection of jet noise by the ground changes the distribution of acoustic energy and is characterized by constructive and destructive interference patterns. The equivalent sources are modeled based on the two-point cross- correlation of the turbulent velocity fluctuations and a steady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solution. Propagation effects, due to reflection by the surface and refaction by the jet shear layer, are taken into account by calculating the vector Green's function of the linearized Euler equations (LEE). The vector Green's function of the LEE is written in relation to Lilley's equation; that is, approximated with matched asymptotic solutions and the Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation. The Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation for an infinite flat plane with impedance is the Weyl-van der Pol equation. Predictions are compared with an unheated Mach 0.95 jet produced by a nozzle with an exit diameter of 0.3302 meters. Microphones are placed at various heights and distances from the nozzle exit in the peak jet noise direction above an acoustically hard and an asphalt surface. The predictions are shown to accurately capture jet noise ground effects that are characterized by constructive and destructive interference patterns in the mid- and far-field and capture overall trends in the near-field.

Miller, Steven A. E.↗

Ionospheric Signature of Surface Mine Blasts from Global Positioning System Measurements

Sources such as atmospheric or buried explosions and shallow earthquakes are known to produce infrasonic pressure waves in the atmosphere. Because of the coupling between neutral particles and electrons at ionospheric altitudes, these acoustic and gravity waves induce variations of the ionospheric electron density. The Global Positioning System (GPS) provides a way of directly measuring the total electron content in the ionosphere and, therefore, of detecting such perturbations in the upper atmosphere. In July and August 1996, three large surface mine blasts (1.5 Kt each) were detonated at the Black Thunder coal mine in eastern Wyoming. As part of a seismic and acoustic monitoring- experiment, we deployed five dual-frequency GPS receivers at distances ranging from 50 to 200 km from the mine and were able to detect the ionospheric perturbation caused by the blasts. The perturbation starts 10 to 15 min after the blast, lasts for about 30 min, and propagates with an apparent horizontal velocity of 1200 meters per second. Its amplitude reaches 3 x 10 (exp 14) el per square meters in the 7-3 min period band, a value close to the ionospheric perturbation caused by the M = 6.7 Northridge earthquake. The small signal-to-noise ratio of the perturbation can be improved by slant-stacking the electron content time-series recorded by the different GPS receivers taking into account the horizontal propagation of the perturbation. The energy of the perturbation is concentrated in the 200 to 300 second period band, a result consistent with previous observations and numerical model predictions. The 300 second band probably corresponds to gravity modes and shorter periods to acoustic modes, respectively. Using a 1-D stratified velocity model of the atmosphere we show that linear acoustic ray tracing fits arrival times at all GPS receivers. We interpret the perturbation as a direct acoustic wave caused by the explosion itself. This study shows that even relatively small subsurface events can produce ionospheric perturbations that are above the detection threshold of the GPS technique. By sensing derivative signals, which can be detected over a relatively broad region, it appears that GPS might be particularly useful for source characterization within the first acoustic quiet zone where infrasound would probably be ineffective. This suggests that dual-frequency GPS monitoring could contribute to Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty verification.

Calais, Eric↗

Toward a Nonlinear Acoustic Analogy: Turbulence as a Source of Sound and Nonlinear Propagation

An acoustic analogy is proposed that directly includes nonlinear propagation effects. We examine the Lighthill acoustic analogy and replace the Green's function of the wave equation with numerical solutions of the generalized Burgers' equation. This is justified mathematically by using similar arguments that are the basis of the solution of the Lighthill acoustic analogy. This approach is superior to alternatives because propagation is accounted for directly from the source to the far-field observer instead of from an arbitrary intermediate point. Validation of a numerical solver for the generalized Burgers' equation is performed by comparing solutions with the Blackstock bridging function and measurement data. Most importantly, the mathematical relationship between the Navier- Stokes equations, the acoustic analogy that describes the source, and canonical nonlinear propagation equations is shown. Example predictions are presented for nonlinear propagation of jet mixing noise at the sideline angle

Miller, Steven A. E.↗

Toward a Nonlinear Acoustic Analogy: Turbulence as a Source of Sound and Nonlinear Propagation

An acoustic analogy is proposed that directly includes nonlinear propagation effects. We examine the Lighthill acoustic analogy and replace the Green's function of the wave equation with numerical solutions of the generalized Burgers' equation. This is justified mathematically by using similar arguments that are the basis of the solution of the Lighthill acoustic analogy. This approach is superior to alternatives because propagation is accounted for directly from the source to the far-field observer instead of from an arbitrary intermediate point. Validation of a numerical solver for the generalized Burgers' equation is performed by comparing solutions with the Blackstock bridging function and measurement data. Most importantly, the mathematical relationship between the Navier-Stokes equations, the acoustic analogy that describes the source, and canonical nonlinear propagation equations is shown. Example predictions are presented for nonlinear propagation of jet mixing noise at the sideline angle.

Miller, Steven A. E.↗

A General-applications Direct Global Matrix Algorithm for Rapid Seismo-acoustic Wavefield Computations

A new matrix method for rapid wave propagation modeling in generalized stratified media, which has recently been applied to numerical simulations in diverse areas of underwater acoustics, solid earth seismology, and nondestructive ultrasonic scattering is explained and illustrated. A portion of recent efforts jointly undertaken at NATOSACLANT and NORDA Numerical Modeling groups in developing, implementing, and testing a new fast general-applications wave propagation algorithm, SAFARI, formulated at SACLANT is summarized. The present general-applications SAFARI program uses a Direct Global Matrix Approach to multilayer Green's function calculation. A rapid and unconditionally stable solution is readily obtained via simple Gaussian ellimination on the resulting sparsely banded block system, precisely analogous to that arising in the Finite Element Method. The resulting gains in accuracy and computational speed allow consideration of much larger multilayered air/ocean/Earth/engineering material media models, for many more source-receiver configurations than previously possible. The validity and versatility of the SAFARI-DGM method is demonstrated by reviewing three practical examples of engineering interest, drawn from ocean acoustics, engineering seismology and ultrasonic scattering.

Schmidt, H.↗

Assessment of a transitional boundary layer theory at low hypersonic Mach numbers

An investigation was carried out to assess the accuracy of a transitional boundary layer theory in the low hypersonic Mach number regime. The theory is based upon the simultaneous numerical solution of the boundary layer partial differential equations for the mean motion and an integral form of the turbulence kinetic energy equation which controls the magnitude and development of the Reynolds stress. Comparisions with experimental data show the theory is capable of accurately predicting heat transfer and velocity profiles through the transitional regime and correctly predicts the effects of Mach number and wall cooling on transition Reynolds number. The procedure shows promise of predicting the initiation of transition for given free stream disturbance levels. The effects on transition predictions of the pressure dilitation term and of direct absorption of acoustic energy by the boundary layer were evaluated.

Shamroth, S. J.↗

Application of a transitional boundary-layer theory in the low hypersonic Mach number regime

An investigation is made to assess the capability of a finite-difference boundary-layer procedure to predict the mean profile development across a transition from laminar to turbulent flow in the low hypersonic Mach-number regime. The boundary-layer procedure uses an integral form of the turbulence kinetic-energy equation to govern the development of the Reynolds apparent shear stress. The present investigation shows the ability of this procedure to predict Stanton number, velocity profiles, and density profiles through the transition region and, in addition, to predict the effect of wall cooling and Mach number on transition Reynolds number. The contribution of the pressure-dilatation term to the energy balance is examined and it is suggested that transition can be initiated by the direct absorption of acoustic energy even if only a small amount (1 per cent) of the incident acoustic energy is absorbed.

Shamroth, S. J.↗

Combustion contribution to noise in jet engines

The relative importance of combustion as a source of noise in a flow regime representative of a subsonic jet engine exhaust was investigated. The combustion noise source characteristics were obtained from pressure and temperature fluctuation measurements in the combustor and exhaust nozzle. The similarity between the fluctuations in this source region and the far field noise were compared. In the jet exhaust velocity range between 450 and 660 ft/sec investigated in detail, the frequencies of dominant pressure and temperature fluctuations in the combustor were also the frequencies of the dominant far field noise. The overall noise levels were 14 to 20 dB higher than from a corresponding clean jet in the same velocity range. Thus it seemed clear that the unsteadiness associated with the combustion process was responsible for the dominant noise in the far field. A simple analysis to predict the far field noise due to the internal pressure fluctuations causing exit plane velocity fluctuations produced trends closely resembling the measured results, but under predicted the far field noise over the spectral range examined. The possible reason for the higher far field noise is direct transmission of acoustic waves through the nozzle, which was not accounted for in the prediction scheme.

Plett, E. G.↗

Effect of forward motion on engine noise

Methods used to determine a procedure for correcting static engine data for the effects of forward motion are described. Data were analyzed from airplane flyover and static-engine tests with a JT8D-109 low-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-9-30, with a CF6-6D high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-10-10, and with a JT9D-59A high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine installed on a DC-10-40. The observed differences between the static and the flyover data bases are discussed in terms of noise generation, convective amplification, atmospheric propagation, and engine installation. The results indicate that each noise source must be adjusted separately for forward-motion and installation effects and then projected to flight conditions as a function of source-path angle, directivity angle, and acoustic range relative to the microphones on the ground.

Blankenship, G. L.↗

Turbulence amplification in shock-wave boundary-layer interaction

Attention is directed to the acoustics research of the 1950s and 1960s for guidance in understanding and quantizing the turbulence amplification that can occur in regions of shock-wave boundary-layer interaction. Three primary turbulence amplifier-generator mechanisms are identified and shown, by linear analysis, to be responsible for turbulence amplification across a shock wave in excess of 100% of the incident turbulence intensity.

Anyiwo, J. C.↗

A reformulation of the parabolic approximation for waves in stratified moving media

An asymptotic, large wave number approximation for the equations governing the propagation of acoustic disturbances through a stratified moving medium is developed. The theory is an extension of the geometric acoustics approximation and provides corrections to that approximation in the form of multiplicative functions which satisfy parabolic differential equations of second order. By properly accounting for variations in the acoustic field in directions normal to the rays both caustic surfaces and the secularity of the geometric theory may be avoided.

Mcaninch, G. L.↗

Controlled sample orientation and rotation in an acoustic levitator

A system is described for use with acoustic levitators, which can prevent rotation of a levitated object or control its orientation and/or rotation. The acoustic field is made nonsymmetrical about the axis of the levitator, to produce an orienting torque that resists sample rotation. In one system, a perturbating reflector is located on one side of the axis of the levitator, at a location near the levitated object. In another system, the main reflector surface towards which incoming acoustic waves are directed is nonsymmetrically curved about the axis of the levitator. The levitated object can be reoriented or rotated in a controlled manner by repositioning the reflector producing the nonsymmetry.

Martin B Barmatz↗

Energy considerations in computational aeroacoustics

A finite-volume multistage time-stepping Euler code is used to investigate the use of CFD algorithms for the direct calculation of acoustics. The 2D compressible inviscid flow about an accelerating or decelerating circular cylinder is used as a model problem. The time evolution of the energy transfer from the cylinder to the fluid, as the cylinder is moved from rest to some nonnegligible velocity, is clearly seen. By examining the temporal and spatial characteristics of the numerical solution, a distinction can be made between the propagating acoustic energy, the convecting energy associated with the entropy change in the fluid, and the energy contained in the local aerodynamic field. Systematic variation of the cylinder acceleration shows that the radiated acoustic energy depends strongly upon the rate of acceleration or deceleration. The computational grid has a large effect on the ratio of acoustic energy to nonphysical entropy associated energy, while the role of the explicit artificial viscosity seems to be of second order. The entropy term was nearly negligible in all cases the cylinder was started slowly.

Brentner, Kenneth S.↗

Sound radiation due to boundary layer transition

This report describes progress made to date towards calculations of noise produced by the laminar-turbulence transition process in a low Mach number boundary layer formed on a rigid wall. The primary objectives of the study are to elucidate the physical mechanisms by which acoustic waves are generated, to clarify the roles of the fluctuating Reynolds stress and the viscous stress in the presence of a solid surface, and to determine the relative efficiency as a noise source of the various transition stages. In particular, we will examine the acoustic characteristics and directivity associated with three-dimensional instability waves, the detached high-shear layer, and turbulent spots following a laminar breakdown. Additionally, attention will be paid to the unsteady surface pressures during the transition, which provide a source of flow noise as well as a forcing function for wall vibration in both aeronautical and marine applications.

Wang, Meng↗

KSC VAB Aeroacoustic Hazard Assessment

NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) carried out an analysis of the effects of aeroacoustics produced by stationary solid rocket motors in processing areas at KSC. In the current paper, attention is directed toward the acoustic effects of a motor burning within the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The analysis was carried out with support from ASRC Aerospace who modeled transmission effects into surrounding facilities. Calculations were done using semi-analytical models for both aeroacoustics and transmission. From the results it was concluded that acoustic hazards in proximity to the source of ignition and plume can be severe; acoustic hazards in the far-field are significantly lower.

Oliveira, Justin M.↗