| EPSRC Reference: |
EP/K017551/1 |
| Title: |
Spectral Broadening in Aeroacoustics |
| Principal Investigator: |
McAlpine, Dr A |
| Other Investigators: |
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| Researcher Co-Investigators: |
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| Project Partners: |
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| Department: |
Faculty of Engineering & the Environment |
| Organisation: |
University of Southampton |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research |
| Starts: |
01 June 2013 |
Ends: |
30 November 2016 |
Value (£): |
323,467
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| EPSRC Research Topic Classifications: |
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| EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications: |
| Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
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| Related Grants: |
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| Panel History: |
| Panel Date | Panel Name | Outcome |
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30 Oct 2012
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Engineering Prioritisation Meeting - 30 Oct 2012
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Announced
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
Noise and emissions (carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides) from jet engines are a major issue, with public expectations of quieter and cleaner skies, despite the rapid growth in commercial air transportation. Research on aircraft noise is of major importance to many stakeholders in the UK. London Heathrow enforces some of the most stringent noise regulations of any of the world's major city airports. Also Rolls-Royce, one of the UK's premier engineering companies, currently has a 30% share of the civil-engine market, making it the world's second largest supplier of civil aircraft engines.
In addition to the economic benefits, reducing aircraft noise and emissions also benefits society, improving the quality of life, and in some instances the health, of people living and working near airports. One of the principal aims in the ACARE (Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe) 2020 vision is a 50% reduction in perceived average noise levels. Notwithstanding the significant investment in aircraft noise research in Europe and the U.S. during the last two decades, this vision will still require considerable technological advances to make airplanes substantially quieter.
The key application of the majority of research in aeroacoustics is aircraft noise. Spectral broadening refers to the scattering of tonal sound fields by turbulence, whereby the interaction of the sound with a random, time-varying, turbulent flow results in power lost from the tone and distributed into a broadband field around the tone frequency. When the proportion of scattered power is small relative to the power that remains in the tone, this is termed "weak scattering". However, spectral broadening can lead to the disappearance of the tone itself, replaced by a broadband hump: this is termed "strong scattering".
The advent of the high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine led to a significant step-change reduction in noise from jet engines, principally due to lower levels of jet noise. A consequence of this reduction in jet noise was that, relative to other sources, fan, core and turbine noise became more important noise sources. In turbofan engines, spectral broadening occurs due to the aft radiated sound propagating through the exhaust jet shear layers. This affects the radiation of turbine tones, and to a lesser extent fan tones.
It is likely that in order to generate another step-change reduction in aircraft engine noise, radical changes to the engine's design will be required. Currently advanced open-rotor contra-rotating propeller concepts are being reappraised due to the significant fuel efficiency savings they can provide. However open-rotors generate a multitude of tones, and historically they have been perceived as being noisier compared to turbofan engines. Open-rotor noise testing conducted in free-jet wind-tunnels can be affected by the presence of the wind-tunnel jet shear layers through which the sound propagates because open-rotors generate highly protrusive tonal sound fields. The shear layers cause spectral broadening of the tones.
The development of robust, validated prediction methods (theoretical and computational) will be a key output from this research. The capability to predict strong scattering is the key aim; currently there are no prediction methods available to predict strong scattering of tones from turbofan and open-rotor aircraft engines. The acquisition of a model-scale experimental database of measurements of spectral broadening obtained in the laboratory will be the other key output from this research. There is currently no such database available; the data will be used for validation purposes, as well as to improve our understanding of the scattering phenomenon.
In summary, the research project will be the first comprehensive study on spectral broadening in aeroacoustics, with key applications directly linked to noise emissions from both turbofan and open-rotor aircraft engines.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.soton.ac.uk |