An experimental study of jet noise part II: Shock associated noise

The characteristics of the sound field of shock-containing under-expanded jet flows are studied by measuring the noise from a convergent nozzle operated over an extensive envelope of supercritical jet operating conditions. The measurements were conducted in an anechoic facility. They are complementary to the turbulent mixing noise experiments (described in Part I) for subsonic and fully-expanded (shock-free) supersonic jets. The overall results from shock-containing jets are compared directly with the corresponding results from shock-free jets, and the effects of nozzle pressure ratio and jet exhaust temperature on broadband shock-associated noise are assessed independently. For a supersonic jet, the regimes of jet operating conditions, observer angles, and frequencies over which the sound field is dominated by shock-associated noise are identified. Finally, the spectral results are compared in a preliminary manner with the spectra predicted by an existing theoretical model, and good agreement is obtained in most cases.     

A prediction method for the effects of flight on subsonic jet noise

The noise of a single-stream circular jet and that of a coaxial jet with coplanar nozzles of 2·5 area ratio have been measured under simulated flight conditions in the RAE 24 ft wind-tunnel. The majority of tests were conducted with the single-stream jet and primary section of the coaxial jet at a nominal temperature of 880 K. The data have been used to quantify the effect of jet temperature and were combined with measurements from an earlier test series to establish a prediction method for the effect of flight on the noise of single-stream subsonic jets. This method is based on jet noise theory modified by experimentally derived constants. For coaxial jets it is concluded that the noise reductions, which are independent of the secondary stream velocity, are predicted to an acceptable degree by the method suggested for unheated single-stream jets. The prediction methods are suitable for both OASPL's and spectra.     

Shock associated noise of supersonic jets from convergent-divergent nozzles

Results of experimental and theoretical studies of the characteristics of shock associated noise from imperfectly expanded supersonic jets over an extensive range of underexpanded and overexpanded operating conditions are described. This kind of broadband noise is believed to be generated by the weak but coherent interaction between the downstream propagating large scale turbulent flow structures in the mixing layer of the jet and the nearly periodic shock cell system. Theoretical reasoning based on this mechanism leads to the scaling formula that the intensity of shock associated noise varies as (M_j² ? M_d²)² where M_j and M_d are the fully expanded jet operating Mach number and nozzle design Mach number, respectively. This formula holds for underexpanded as well as overexpanded jet Mach numbers. In addition, a peak frequency formula is also derived from the same model. The noise intensity, directivity and spectra of supersonic jets from a convergent-divergent nozzle of design Mach number 1·67 were measured in an anechoic facility over the Mach number range of 1·1 to 2·0. The effect of jet temperature was investigated by operating the jet at three temperature conditions. These sets of data provide sufficient information for fully assessing the relative importance and characteristics of shock associated noise of supersonic jets from convergent-divergent nozzles. Comparisons between theoretical results and measurements show very favorable agreement.     

New scaling laws for hot and cold jet mixing noise based on a geometric acoustics model

New scaling laws are presented for hot turbulent jet mixing noise outside the cone of silence. These account for mean flow field effects on sound radiation via an analytical high frequency approximate solution to Lilley's equation. Numerical calculations for sound radiation from sources in a cylindrical shear flow are used to test the validity of the approximation. The proposed scaling laws yield an excellent collapse of jet noise measurements over a wide range of conditions. The resulting information has been incorporated into a jet mixing noise prediction scheme which, with appropriate modifications to the analytical high frequency approximation, can be applied both inside and outside the cone of silence. The prediction scheme for angles inside the cone of silence will be described in a subsequent paper.     

The flow noise level at microphones in flow ducts

When sound measurements are made in flow ducts one has to insure that the signal-to-noise ratio of the sound signal to the flow noise, which is produced by the turbulent flow at the microphone, is sufficiently high. To accomplish this, knowledge of the flow noise level under the specific given flow conditions is required. In this paper two procedures for determining the flow noise level are described. For the first method, the mean flow velocity and the turbulence level have to be known to estimate the flow noise level as a function of duct diameter and frequency. For the second method knowledge of only the mean flow velocity is required. The procedure involves two measurements: one with a microphone fitted with a conventional nose cone and one with a microphone fitted with a slit-tube. The slit-tube is a special device for reducing the flow noise level. Finally, guidelines are given for sound measurements in the presence of flow and for the use of a microphone with a slit-tube under unusual temperature conditions or in gases other than air.     

Jet noise control using the dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators

We study experimentally how plasma actuators operating on the basis of surface barrier high-frequency discharge affect jet noise characteristics. The results of investigations of air jets (100?C200 m/s) have demonstrated that the studied plasma actuators have control authority over the noise characteristics of these jets. An actuator??s effect on the jet in the applied configuration is related to acoustic discharge excitation and to a large extent is similar to the well-known Vlasov-Ginevsky effect. It has been shown that jet excitation in the case of St ?? 0.5 using the barrier-discharge plasma actuator leads to broadband amplification of jet sound radiation. The jet excitation in the case of St > 2 leads to broadband noise reduction if the action is sufficiently intensive.     

Core noise from gas turbine exhausts

There is abundant evidence to show that the exhaust noise from gas turbines contains components which exceed the jet mixing noise at low jet velocities. This paper describes results of a theory developed to calculate the acoustic power produced by temperature fluctuations from the combustor entering the turbine. With the turbine Mach numbers and flow directions at blade mid-height, and a typical value for the fluctuation in temperature, as parameters it has been possible to predict the acoustic power due to this mechanism for three different engines. In all three cases the agreement with measurements of acoustic power at low jet velocities is very good. Similarly, based on a measured spectrum of the temperature fluctuation, the prediction of the acoustic power spectrum agrees quite well with that measured.     

Measurements of roughness noise

Experiments have been performed on the roughness noise produced by a two-dimensional turbulent wall jet boundary layer flowing over short fetches of sandpaper roughness. A range of rough surface sizes were studied from hydrodynamically smooth through fully rough. Velocity measurements were made to document the form of the wall jet boundary layer and the influence of the roughness upon it. Acoustic measurements showed background noise levels to be very low so that the sound produced by the rough surfaces could be clearly detected with signal to noise ratios as large as 20 dB. Even hydrodynamically smooth roughness was found to produce noise, conclusively indicating the presence of scattering as a source mechanism. Variations of the roughness noise spectra with flow speed and roughness size are found to be inconsistent with any simple parameter scaling. Boundary layer wall pressure fluctuation measurements made within the roughness fetches reveal a spectral form quite different than the roughness noise, and fluctuation levels some 50-70 dB higher. Despite these differences the wall pressure and roughness noise are found to be very simply related, at least at lower frequencies (<6 kHz). The roughness noise spectrum varies closely as the product of the wall pressure spectrum, the frequency squared, and the mean-square roughness height. This is the scaling predicted by scattering theory and implies a major simplification to the problem of roughness noise prediction for stochastic surfaces.     

Shock associated noise of inverted-profile coannular jets,part I: Experiments

The reduction of shock-associated noise in inverted-velocity-profile coannular jets is quantified and explained by (1) conducting extensive optical and acoustic measurements for a suitable range of outer and inner stream pressure ratio combinations, and (2) interpreting the measured noise results with the aid of new theoretical models. It is shown that the shock noise from the outer stream is virtually eliminated when the inner stream is operated at a Mach number just above unity, regardless of all the other jet operating parameters. Furthermore, this reduction can be achieved at inverted- as well as normal-velocity-profile conditions.     

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 refraction 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 that of Lilley's equation; that is, it is approximated with matched asymptotic solutions and Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation. The Green's function of the convective Helmholtz equation in the presence of an infinite flat plane with impedance is the Weyl–van der Pol equation. Predictions are compared with measurements from an unheated Mach 0.95 jet. 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.     

The effect of forward flight on the noise and flow field of inverted profile jets

Noise and flow field measurements are reported for an inverted profile coannular jet (where the annular jet speed exceeds the center jet speed) under simulated flight conditions. The annular and center jets were cold and both were operated subsonically. Forward flight was simulated by placing the coannular jet inside a larger open jet. Acoustic measurements show the effects of inverted profile shape and simulated flight on far field directivity, total radiated power, and spectral content. Measurements of total acoustic power demonstrate that the acoustic efficiency of inverted profile jets is about 3 dB less than the efficiency of “top hat” profile jets, and that the noise decreases as the seventh power of the relative jet velocity in the limit of small flight velocity, U_f. Flow measurements demonstrate that the jet spreading parameter λ = (U_j ? U_f)/(U_j + U_f) scales the thickness of the outer shear layer and the passage frequencies of the large turbulence scales. Comparisons between the turbulence time scales and the noise spectra suggest that coherent noise sources may become more important in forward flight.     

On combustion generated noise from turbulent diffusion gaseous flames

A study is made into the mechanism of noise emission process from an ‘inverse’ open turbulent diffusion gaseous double-concentric jet flame. Correlations are presented between the mean temperatures, mean and fluctuating velocity, and the fluctuating pressure on one hand and the overall noise emission on the other from the natural gas-air flames and the He-air jets. Time mean and temporal component of velocity were measured using a laser doppler anemometry system. The LDA was operated in the fringe mode with a radial rotating diffraction grating. Signal processing was carried out by a counter linked to an on-line mini computer.A comparison is presented between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions based on a rational correlation and shows a good agreement for the peak frequency of the radiated sound power.     

Scan-based near-field acoustical holography and partial field decomposition in the presence of noise and source level variation

Practical holography measurements of composite sources are usually performed using a multireference cross-spectral approach, and the measured sound field must be decomposed into spatially coherent partial fields before holographic projection. The formulations by which the latter approach have been implemented have not taken explicit account of the effect of additive noise on the reference signals and so have strictly been limited to the case in which noise superimposed on the reference signals is negligible. Further, when the sound field is measured by scanning a subarray over a number of patches in sequence, the decomposed partial fields can suffer from corruption in the form of a spatially distributed error resulting from source level variation from scan-to-scan. In the present work, the effects of both noise included in the reference signals, and source level variation during a scan-based measurement, on partial field decomposition are described, and an integrated procedure for simultaneously suppressing the two effects is provided. Also, the relative performance of two partial field decomposition formulations is compared, and a strategy for obtaining the best results is described. The proposed procedure has been verified by using numerical simulations and has been applied to holographic measurements of a subsonic jet.     

Low-frequency wind noise correlation in microphone arrays

A three-axis orthogonal microphone array with ten sensors in each arm has been used to study wind noise in the frequency range from 0.05 to 50 Hz. Simultaneous measurements were made of the three components of the varying wind velocity. Measurements have been made for wind speeds from 4 to 7 m/s at three different sites. The frequency-dependent correlation of the wind noise over a range of wind velocities and atmospheric and environmental conditions in the downwind direction varies as exp(-3.2X)cos(27piX). For the crosswind and vertical directions, the correlation decays approximately as exp(-7Y), where X is the separation in wavelengths in the downwind direction and Y is this separation in the crosswind or vertical direction. Over a limited range of wave numbers, the power density spectra of the varying wind velocity varied as the wave number to the -(5/3) power and the pressure spectra as the -(7/3) power.     

A survey of low velocity and coaxial jet noise with application to prediction

A review of recent published data on low velocity jet noise is given together with previously unpublished results taken from the Rolls-Royce Noise Research Programme on model rigs and full-scale engines. Noise correlations are given which show that at low jet velocities, the low frequency exhaust noise which is commonly referred to as jet noise, emitted from the fan stream of a turbofan engine is considerably lower in level than that from the (hot) centre stream. From this result, a new prediction procedure for coaxial jet noise of turbofan engines is then developed. Comparisons are given which show that this method gives good correlation with measured results from a number of full-scale turbofan engines. The importance of accurate estimation of the “ground reflection effect” is clearly demonstrated. A critical review of published jet noise data from model coaxial jets is given and the need for further extensive testing emphasized.     

Broadband shock noise reduction in turbulent jets by water injection

The concept of effective jet properties introduced by the author (Kandula M. Prediction of turbulent jet mixing noise reduction by water injection. AIAA J 2008;46(11):2714-22) has been extended to the estimation of broadband shock noise reduction by water injection in supersonic jets. Comparison of the predictions with the test data for cold and hot underexpanded supersonic nozzles shows a satisfactory agreement. The results also reveal the range of water mass flow rates over which saturation of mixing noise reduction and existence of parasitic noise are manifest.     

Prediction of jet noise in flight from static tests

The sound intensity of jet noise from aircraft in flight is derived in a co-ordinate system fixed to the jet engine. For this reason a convected form of the Lighthill equation is solved, with special care taken of jet temperature effects. Under certain assumptions and approximations, the in-flight and static sound intensities are related in a simple manner. Thus the directivity of jet noise in flight can be predicted. The theoretical result is checked with measurements. The agreement is remarkably good.     

Measurement of wind noise levels in streamlined probes

This paper investigates the wind noise pressure spectra measured by aerodynamically designed devices in turbulent flow. Such measurement probes are often used in acoustic measurements in wind tunnels to reduce the pressure fluctuations generated by the interaction of the devices with the incident flow. When placed in an outdoor turbulent environment however, their performance declines noticeably. It is hypothesized that these devices are measuring the stagnation pressures generated by the cross flow components of the turbulence. Predictions for the cross flow contribution to the stagnation pressure spectra based on measured velocity spectra are developed, and are then compared to the measured pressure spectra in four different probe type devices in windy conditions outdoors. The predictions agree well with the measurements and show that the cross flow contamination coefficient is on the order of 0.5 in outdoor turbulent flows in contrast to the published value of 0.15 for measurements in a turbulent jet indoors.     

Preliminary application of a DGV system using a single intensified camera in a supersonic wind tunnel

A DGV system using a continuous wave Argon laser and an optical arrangement with a single intensified camera has been set up at the ISL blow-down supersonic wind tunnel. The first tests have been performed over a 12.5° 2D wedge at a freestream Mach number of 2. A mean velocity field has been calculated from 28 individual measurements. When compared to the theoretical velocity distribution, deviations of 8 % to 15 % have been obtained. Preliminary tests have also been performed on a missile-like model equipped with a lateral jet system. Individual as well as mean velocity fields are presented.     

Velocity measurements in jets with application to noise source modeling

This paper describes an experimental investigation of the statistical properties of turbulent velocity fluctuations in an axisymmetric jet. The focus is on those properties that are relevant to the prediction of noise. Measurements are performed using two single hot-wire anemometers as well as a two-component anemometer. Two-point cross correlations of the axial velocity fluctuations and of the fluctuations in the square of the axial velocity fluctuations are presented. Several reference locations in the jet are used including points on the jet lip and centerline. The scales of the turbulence and the convection velocity are determined, both in an overall sense as well as a function of frequency. The relationship between the second and fourth order correlations is developed and compared with the experimental data. The implications of the use of dimensional as well as non-dimensional correlations are considered. Finally, a comparison is made between the length scales deduced from the flow measurements and a RANS CFD calculation.