Determining the Spatial Properties of a Turbulent Transverse Flow via Multi-Frequency Acoustic Probing

The results are presented from an experimental study of solving the inverse problem of recovering a turbulent flow’s velocity and its position in space by analyzing the spectrum of fluctuations in an acoustic signal of different frequencies intersecting the flow. The conditions for and accuracy of recovering turbulent flow characteristics are discussed in terms of a multifrequency signal propagating along one acoustic path. The study is performed using a muffled acoustic chamber with a jet of air serving as a turbulent flow. Despite the physical character of the experiments, their results can be applied to problems of atmospheric, aero-, and oceanic acoustics.