Application of Beamforming Methods to Full-Scale Military Jet Noise

Over the past decade, beamforming in aeroacoustics applications have undergone significant advances. Cross beamforming methods improve upon traditional beamforming in that they relax the assumption of multiple-source incoherence. This paper compares the abilities of three cross beamforming methods to reproduce source and field characteristics for an extended, partially correlated source that mimics supersonic jet noise radiation. Standard cross beamforming and two related methods that involve regularization—the hybrid method and improved generalized inverse beamforming—are applied to a numerically generated dataset along a near-field line. Estimated levels and coherence lengths are compared with benchmarks at the source as well as near and far-field locations. All three methods are successful in reproducing the field and source properties in high-amplitude regions. Although regularization generally helps to improve both source and field reconstructions, results are sensitive to regularization parameters, particularly for the generalized inverse method. The successful application of the three methods demonstrate the utility of cross-beamforming in formulating equivalent source models for accurate field prediction of complex sources, including jet noise

Prediction of Nonlinear Propagation of Noise from a Solid Rocket Motor

Nonlinear acoustic wave propagation predictions (Generalized Burgers equation-based) of noise propagation are compared with measurements from a static, horizontally-fired solid rocket motor over a range of 76-1220 m during an 80 s burn time. The modeling suggests the nature of the geometric spreading between 76 and 305 m varies from cylindrical at low-frequencies to spherical at high frequencies. The predicted waveforms and high-frequency spectral slopes associated with significant shock content are in agreement with properties of the measured noise. At 1220 m, the relatively simple nonlinear model again approximates the measured spectrum despite the complexities of the measurement environment and atmospheric propagation

Analyses of Noise from Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) Firings

NASA s Space Launch Vehicle (SLS) program has chosen the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor V (RSRMV) as the booster system for initial flights. Lift off acoustics continue to be a consideration in overall vehicle vibroacoustic evaluations and launch pad modifications. Work started with the Ares program to understand solid rocket noise mechanisms is continuing through SLS program in conjunction with BYU/Blue Ridge Research Consulting

Phased-array Measurements of Full-Scale High-Ampliltude Jet Noise

Beamforming in aeroacoustics applications have undergone significant advances over the past decade, although successful source reconstructions depend on array geometry and the assumed source model. The application of phased-array algorithms to ground array measurements of a full-scale tactical jet engine yield equivalent source reconstructions for military and afterburner engine conditions. A deconvolution approach for the mapping of acoustic sources (DAMAS) is utilized to remove array effects seen in conventional beamforming and allows for improved interpretation of results

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of a Quadspectral Nonlinearity Indicator

The effects of nonlinearity on the power spectrum of jet noise can be directly compared with those of atmospheric absorption and geometric spreading through an ensemble-averaged, frequency-domain version of the generalized Burgers equation (GBE) [B. O. Reichman et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 136, 2102 (2014)]. The rate of change in the sound pressure level due to the nonlinearity, in decibels per jet nozzle diameter, is calculated using a dimensionless form of the quadspectrum of the pressure and the squared-pressure waveforms. In this paper, this formulation is applied in detail to atmospheric propagation of a spherically spreading, initial sinusoid and unheated model-scale supersonic (Mach 2.0) jet data. The rate of change in level due to nonlinearity is calculated and compared with estimated effects due to absorption and geometric spreading. Comparing these losses with the change predicted due to nonlinearity shows that absorption and nonlinearity are of similar magnitude in the geometric far field, where shocks are present, which causes the high-frequency spectral shape to remain unchanged. Nonlinear effects are compared for engine conditions of Mach 0.85 and Mach 1.8 as well. Both the Mach-1.8 and Mach-2.0 data exhibit nonlinear trends that slow the decay of the waveform compared to absorption and spreading alone