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Pierce, A. D.

Publications and source records attributed to Pierce, A. D..

16 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Sound propagation over uneven ground and irregular topography

Theoretical, computational, and experimental techniques for predicting the effects of irregular topography on long range sound propagation in the atmosphere was developed. Irregular topography here is understood to imply a ground surface that is not idealized as being perfectly flat or that is not idealized as having a constant specific acoustic impedance. The interest focuses on circumstances where the propagation is similar to what might be expected for noise from low altitude air vehicles flying over suburban or rural terrain, such that rays from the source arrive at angles close to grazing incidence.

Kearns, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Sound propagation over uneven ground and irregular topography

The development of theoretical, computational, and experimental techniques for predicting the effects of irregular topography on long range sound propagation in the atmosphere is discussed. Irregular topography here is understood to imply a ground surface that (1) is not idealizable as being perfectly flat or (2) that is not idealizable as having a constant specific acoustic impedance. The study focuses on circumstances where the propagation is similar to what might be expected for noise from low-altitude air vehicles flying over suburban or rural terrain, such that rays from the source arrive at angles close to grazing incidence.

Pierce, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Sound-burst Generator for Measuring Coal Properties

Acoustical properties of coal can be measured accurately and with relative ease with aid of digital two-channel sine-wave sound generator. Generator is expected to provide information for development of acoustic devices for measuring thickness of coal in longwall mining. In echo-cancellation measurements, sound bursts are sent to coal sample from opposite directions. Transmitted and reflected amplitudes and phases are measured by transducers to determine coal properties.

Hadden, W. J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Sound diffraction around screens and wedges for arbitrary point source locations

A development is presented for the Green's function for a point source in the vicinity of a rigid wedge. The diffraction contributions to the Green's function for arbitrary source and listener location is expressed in a form which can be readily evaluated using the Laguerre technique for numerical integration. The present approach offers the advantages of efficient numerical evaluation and of relatively straightforward reduction to well-known analytical approximations in limiting cases. Comparisons with previously obtained experimental and numerical results obtained by Ambaud and Bergassoli (1972) are presented. The comparison with the experimental results is excellent; the advantages of the present numerical technique, vis a vis that of Ambaud and Bergassoli, are pointed out.

Hadden, W. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Applications of acoustics in the measurement of coal slab thickness

The determination of the possibility of employing acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies for measurements of thicknesses of slabs of coal backed by shale is investigated. Fundamental information concerning the acoustical properties of coal, and the relationship between these properties and the structural and compositional parameters used to characterize coal samples was also sought. The testing device, which utilizes two matched transducers, is described.

Hadden, W. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Aircraft noise propagation

Sound diffraction experiments conducted at NASA Langley Research Center to study the acoustical implications of the engine over wing configuration (noise-shielding by wing) and to provide a data base for assessing various theoretical approaches to the problem of aircraft noise reduction are described. Topics explored include the theory of sound diffraction around screens and wedges; the scattering of spherical waves by rectangular patches; plane wave diffraction by a wedge with finite impedence; and the effects of ambient flow and distribution sources.

Hadden, W. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Propagation of aircraft noise

The major tasks undertaken were (1) analytical and laboratory experiments on the propagation of sound from sources near a flat surface of finite acoustic impedance; (2) laboratory experiments dealing with the reflection of sound from finite sized plane patches; and (3) the diffraction of sound by wedge-and trapezoidal-shape barriers. In addition, a series of measurements were made of the background noise levels for various jet flow conditions in the Anechoic Noise Facility of the Langley Research Center's Acoustic and Noise Reduction Laboratory.

Pierce, A. D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Ballistic range experiments on superbooms generated by refraction

The enhanced sonic boom or supersonic boom generated as a result of atmospheric refraction in threshold Mach number flights was recreated in a ballistic range by firing projectiles at low supersonic speeds into a stratified medium obtained by slowly injecting carbon dioxide into air. The range was equipped with a fast-response dynamic pressure transducer and schlieren photographic equipment, and the sound speed variation with height was controlled by regulating the flow rate of the CO2. The schlieren observations of the resulting flow field indicate that the generated shocks are reflected near the sonic cutoff altitude where local sound speed equals body speed, provided such an altitude exists. Maximum shock strength occurs very nearly at the point where the incident and reflected shocks join, indicating that the presence of the reflected shock may have an appreciable effect on the magnitude of the focus factor. The largest focus factor detected was 1.7 and leads to an estimate that the constant in the Guiraud-Thery scaling law should have a value of 1.30.

Sanai, M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Ballistic range experiments on the superboom generated at increasing flight Mach numbers

Ballistic range experiments for the study of the propagation of converging shocks are described and the similarity between the observed phenomenon and that expected for superbooms created by accelerating supersonic aircraft is discussed. For weak shocks (shock Mach numbers of about 1.03), a structure resembling that of a folded shock predicted by geometrical acoustics theory is observed while for stronger shocks, a concave front with enhanced overpressure is recorded. Other results are in general accord with the basic concepts of shock propagation and in conjunction with some theoretical scaling laws indicate that the peak magnification of sonic booms due to aircraft flight acceleration in the real atmosphere should be in the range of 6 to 13.

Sanai, M.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Diffraction of sound by nearly rigid barriers

The diffraction of sound by barriers with surfaces of large, but finite, acoustic impedance was analyzed. Idealized source-barrier-receiver configurations in which the barriers may be considered as semi-infinite wedges are discussed. Particular attention is given to situations in which the source and receiver are at large distances from the tip of the wedge. The expression for the acoustic pressure in this limiting case is compared with the results of Pierce's analysis of diffraction by a rigid wedge. An expression for the insertion loss of a finite impedance barrier is compared with insertion loss formulas which are used extensively in selecting or designing barriers for noise control.

Hadden, W. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The leaking mode problem in atmospheric acoustic-gravity wave propagation

The problem of predicting the transient acoustic pressure pulse at long horizontal distances from large explosions in the atmosphere is examined. Account is taken of poles off the real axis and of branch line integrals in the general integral governing the transient waveform. Perturbation techniques are described for the computation of the imaginary ordinate of the poles and numerical studies are described for a model atmosphere terminated by a halfspace with c = 478 m/sec above 125 km. For frequencies less than 0.0125 rad/sec, the GR sub 1 mode, for example, is found to have a frequency dependent amplitude decay of the order of 0.0001 nepers/km. Examples of numerically synthesized transient waveforms are exhibited with and without the inclusion of leaking modes. The inclusion of leaking modes results in waveforms with a more marked beginning rather than a low frequency oscillating precursor of gradually increasing amplitude. Also, the revised computations indicate that waveforms invariably begin with a pressure rise, a result supported by other theoretical considerations and by experimental data.

Kinney, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Sound radiation from randomly vibrating beams of finite circular cross section

The radiation of sound from vibrating cylindrical beams is analyzed based on the frequency of the beam vibrations and the physical characteristics of the beam and its surroundings. A statistical analysis of random beam vibrations allows this result to be independent of the boundary conditions at the ends of the beam. The acoustic power radiated by the beam can be determined from a knowledge of the frequency band vibration data without a knowledge of the individual modal vibration amplitudes. A practical example of the usefulness of this technique is provided by the application of the theoretical calculations to the prediction of the octave band acoustic power output of the picking sticks of an automatic textile loom. Calculations are made of the expected octave band sound pressure levels based on measured acceleration data. These theoretical levels are subsequently compared with actual sound pressure level measurements of loom noise.

Sutterlin, M. W.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Effects of atmospheric irregularities on sonic-boom propagation.

A review is given of information obtained in recent years concerning the effects on sonic-boom signatures of departures of the atmosphere from a perfectly stratified time invariant model. These effects include the observed random variations in boom overpressures from those expected for a stratified atmosphere, the anomalously large and variable rise times, and the occurrence of spiked or rounded waveforms rather than the characteristic N waves. The extent of the variability in data recorded during actual flight tests is summarized in the form of histograms, representing experimentally obtained probability density functions. The physical mechanisms believed to be responsible for the variations and the anomalous features in the signatures are described. These include refraction and subsequent wavefront rippling by turbulence, the possible focusing or defocusing of rays, the formation of caustics, and the phenomenon of wavefront folding, diffraction, and scattering. Recent statistical theories of shock propagation through a turbulent atmosphere proposed by Crow, George and Plotkin, Pierce, Horning, and others are reviewed.

Pierce, A. D.↗