The acoustic spectrum of axial flow machines

Rotor spectra from a variety of axial flow machines have been compared and acoustic trends examined. Types of rotor considered in the investigation included aircraft propellers, helicopter rotors, jet engine compressor and by-pass fans and a range of domestic, automotive and industrial cooling fans. Rotor sizes varied from 15 in to 60 ft in diameter and tip speeds from 200 ft/s to transonic speeds.The study showed that the acoustic output from these various rotor devices can be described by a common characteristic spectrum. In particular, the minimum broad band noise generated by ducted and free field rotors corresponds to laminar and turbulent boundary layer shedding, and discrete excess noise is generated by various degrees of impulsive blade loading. Finally the study showed that aerodynamic details can be interpreted from the acoustic spectra, and as a result, new insight into the mechanisms of rotor noise has been formed.