Physics of Fluids Features Airliners' Noise Reduction Research

 An effort of AE researchers to reduce the noise created by commercial airliners is being featured on the Physics of Fluidswebsite, http://pof.aip.org/.

AE Assistant Prof. Daniel J. Bodony explained that airframe and engine manufacturers are coming under increasing pressure to reduce airliner noise. Bodony’s collaborative work with AE Prof. Jonathan B. Freund to control high-speed engine exhaust shows promise in reducing an aircraft’s acoustic footprint without compromising performance.

Bodony and Freund have teamed with recent graduate student Randall R. Kleinman, MS 04 (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics), PhD 10 (TAM), on the project that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s NRA Supersonics Program is funding. Kleinman now is working at Boston Scientific in the Cardiology, Rhythm, and Vascular group in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The researchers used large-scale simulations of the compressible Navier-Stokes equations to examine how a plasma-based actuator can control the jet exhaust very close to the nozzle exit. They believe noise can be reduced up to 30 percent by strategically modifying the engine exhaust in the boundary layer near the nozzle exit. Their findings show that careful tailoring of the actuator details can enhance effective control, pointing to future paths for increased noise reduction via an optimization strategy.