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At least 127 records · Page 7

Computational Evaluation of Airframe Noise Reduction Concepts at Full Scale

High-fidelity simulations focused on full-scale evaluation of new technologies for mitigating flap and landing gear noise are presented. These noise reduction concepts were selected because of their superior acoustic performance, as demonstrated during NASA wind tunnel tests of an 18%-scale, semi-span model of a Gulfstream aircraft. The full-scale, full-aircraft, time-accurate simulations were performed with the lattice Boltzmann PowerFLOW(Registered Trademark) solver for free air at a Mach number of 0.2. Three aircraft configurations (flaps deflected at 39 without and with main gear deployed, and 0 flaps with main gear extended) were used to determine the aero-acoustic performance of the concepts on component-level (individually) and system-level (concurrent applica-tion) bases. Farfield noise spectra were obtained using a Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings acoustic analogy approach. Comparison of the predicted spectra without (baseline) and with the noise treatments applied showed that noise reduction benefits between 2-3 dB for the flap and 1.3-1.7 dB for the main landing gear are obtained. It was also found that the full extent of the benefits is being masked by the noise generated from the flap brackets and main gear cavities, which act as prominent secondary sources.

Khorrami, Mehdi R.↗

Assessing Hurricane Katrina Vegetation Damage at Stennis Space Center using IKONOS Image Classification Techniques

Hurricane Katrina inflicted widespread damage to vegetation in southwestern coastal Mississippi upon landfall on August 29, 2005. Storm damage to surface vegetation types at the NASA John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) was mapped and quantified using IKONOS data originally acquired on September 2, 2005, and later obtained via a Department of Defense ClearView contract. NASA SSC management required an assessment of the hurricane s impact to the 125,000-acre buffer zone used to mitigate rocket engine testing noise and vibration impacts and to manage forestry and fire risk. This study employed ERDAS IMAGINE software to apply traditional classification techniques to the IKONOS data. Spectral signatures were collected from multiple ISODATA classifications of subset areas across the entire region and then appended to a master file representative of major targeted cover type conditions. The master file was subsequently used with the IKONOS data and with a maximum likelihood algorithm to produce a supervised classification later refined using GIS-based editing. The final results enabled mapped, quantitative areal estimates of hurricane-induced damage according to general surface cover type. The IKONOS classification accuracy was assessed using higher resolution aerial imagery and field survey data. In-situ data and GIS analysis indicate that the results compare well to FEMA maps of flooding extent. The IKONOS classification also mapped open areas with woody storm debris. The detection of such storm damage categories is potentially useful for government officials responsible for hurricane disaster mitigation.

Spruce, Joseph P.↗

Development of Acoustic Mufflers for Cabin Noise Reduction in Orion Spacecraft

Controlling cabin acoustic noise levels in the Crew Module (CM) of the Orion spacecraft is critical to ensure adequate speech intelligibility, to avoid fatigue, and prevent any possibility of temporary and permanent hearing loss to the crew. The primary source of cabin noise for the on-orbit phase of the mission is from the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) which recycles and conditions breathing air and maintains cabin pressurization through its duct network and components. Unfortunately, as a side effect, noise from the ECLSS fans propagates through theses ducts and emanate into the cabin habitable volume via the ECLSS inlet and outlets. To mitigate excessive duct-borne noise, two ECLSS mufflers have been designed to provide significant acoustic transmission loss (TL) so that the cabin noise requirements can be met. Each muffler is meant to be installed in the ducting of the ECLSS air inlet and outlet sides, respectively. Packaging constraints and tight volume requirements necessitated the mufflers to be of complex geometry and compatible with the bends of the ECLSS duct layout. To design and characterize the acoustic performance of the inlet and outlet mufflers, computational acoustic models were developed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) with 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒଺ vibroacoustic software. Characterization of the acoustic material and perforations in the mufflers were addressed with poroelastic theory. Once the mufflers were designed on paper and its TL predicted, prototypes of these mufflers were created using additive manufacturing. The muffler prototypes were subsequently tested for acoustic TL in the laboratory with various con-figurations of acoustic materials. Comparing the analytical predictions to the test performance yielded excellent correlation for acoustic TL and demonstrated significant broadband noise attenuation. The ECLSS mufflers are currently scheduled to be installed on the Artemis II Crew Module (CM) of the Orion spacecraft and will provide significant cabin comfort to crew during the mission.

Indranil Dandaroy↗

Investigation of Flow Conditioners for Compact Jet Engine Simulator Rig Noise Reduction

The design requirements for two new Compact Jet Engine Simulator (CJES) units for upcoming wind tunnel testing lead to the distinct possibility of rig noise contamination. The acoustic and aerodynamic properties of several flow conditioner devices are investigated over a range of operating conditions relevant to the CJES units to mitigate the risk of rig noise. An impinging jet broadband noise source is placed in the upstream plenum of the test facility permitting measurements of not only flow conditioner self-noise, but also noise attenuation characteristics. Several perforated plate and honeycomb samples of high porosity show minimal self-noise but also minimal attenuation capability. Conversely, low porosity perforated plate and sintered wire mesh conditioners exhibit noticeable attenuation but also unacceptable self-noise. One fine wire mesh sample (DP450661) shows minimal selfnoise and reasonable attenuation, particularly when combined in series with a 15.6 percent open area (POA) perforated plate upstream. This configuration is the preferred flow conditioner system for the CJES, providing up to 20 dB of broadband attenuation capability with minimal self-noise.

Doty, Michael J.↗

Mitigating the Impacts of Measurement Error in the Quesst Mission Community Noise Study

Beginning in 2025, the NASA Quesst mission will conduct a series of community response tests involving flyovers of the X-59 aircraft at select localities across the United States. Several waves of a longitudinal survey will be administered over approximately one month of testing in order to capture perceptual responses to low-amplitude sonic booms, or “sonic thumps”. Simultaneously, noise exposure levels will be estimated by fusing model-based predictions with measurements taken from a sparse network of monitors in the region. As one of the aims of the study is to produce a dose-response curve, a regression model relating perceptual response to noise exposure levels, it is important to acknowledge the potential attenuation bias that results from measurement error in the estimated noise exposure levels. In this presentation we review and compare several methods for dealing with measurement error in generalized linear mixed models. The methods are demonstrated on simulated data and real data collected during past NASA risk reduction studies.

measurement error↗

Stennis Space Center Environmental Geographic Information System

As NASA's lead center for rocket propulsion testing, the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC) monitors and assesses the off-site impacts of such testing through its Environmental Office (SSC-EO) using acoustical models and ancillary data. The SSC-EO has developed a geographical database, called the SSC Environmental Geographic Information System (SSC-EGIS), that covers an eight-county area bordering the NASA facility. Through the SSC-EGIS, the Enivronmental Office inventories, assesses, and manages the nearly 139,000 acres that comprise Stennis Space Center and its surrounding acoustical buffer zone. The SSC-EGIS contains in-house data as well as a wide range of data obtained from outside sources, including private agencies and local, county, state, and U.S. government agencies. The database comprises cadastral/geodetic, hydrology, infrastructure, geo-political, physical geography, and socio-economic vector and raster layers. The imagery contained in the database is varied, including low-resolution imagery, such as Landsat TM and SPOT; high-resolution imagery, such as IKONOS and AVIRIS; and aerial photographs. The SSC-EGIS has been an integral part of several major projects and the model upon which similar EGIS's will be developed for other NASA facilities. The Corps of Engineers utilized the SSC-EGIS in a plan to establish wetland mitigation sites within the SSC buffer zone. Mississippi State University employed the SSC-EGIS in a preliminary study to evaluate public access points within the buffer zone. The SSC-EO has also expressly used the SSC-EGIS to assess noise pollution modeling, land management/wetland mitigation assessment, environmental hazards mapping, and protected areas mapping for archaeological sites and for threatened and endangered species habitats. The SSC-EO has several active and planned projects that will also make use of the SSC-EGIS during this and the coming fiscal year.

Lovely, Janette↗

Advanced Noise Control Fan: A 20-Year Retrospective of Contributions to Aeroacoustics Research

The Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF) (formerly the Active Noise Control Fan) was utilized in the design, test, and evaluation for technical risk mitigation of most of the innovative fan noise reduction technologies developed by NASA over the past 20 years (Figure 3). The ANCF is a low-speed ducted-fan testbed for measuring and understanding fan-generated aeroacoustics, duct propagation, and radiation to the far field. It is considered a low technology readiness level (TRL) testbed. The international aeroacoustics research community employed the ANCF to facilitate advancement of multiple noise reduction and measurement technologies and for code validation. From 1994 to 2016, it was located in the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL). In 2016, the ANCF was transferred to the University of Notre Dame (UND) where it is expected to continue to positively impact ducted-fan aeroacoustic research. This paper summarizes the capabilities and contributions of the ANCF to the field by documenting its history.

Sutliff, Daniel L.↗

A 20 Year Retrospective of The Advanced Noise Control Fan - Contributions to Turbofan Noise Research

The Advanced Noise Control Fan (neé Active Noise Control Fan - ANCF) was utilized in the design, test, and evaluation for technical risk mitigation of most of the innovative fan noise reduction technologies developed by NASA over the past 20 years. The ANCF is a low-speed, ducted fan, testbed for measuring and understanding fan-generated aeroacoustics, duct propagation, and radiation to the farfield. It is considered a low Technology Readiness Level testbed. The international aeroacoustics research community employed the ANCF to facilitate advancement of multiple noise reduction and measurement technologies, and for code validation. From 1994 to 2016, it was located in the NASA Glenn Research Center’s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory. In 2016 the ANCF was transferred to the University of Notre Dame where it is expected to continue to positively impact ducted fan aeroacoustic research and provide STEM support. This paper summarizes the capabilities and contributions of the ANCF to the field by documenting its history. Limited data is presented, focusing on a description of the configurations, goals, and objectives of representative ANCF tests. This provides an overview of the progress of aeroacosustic research as implemented on the ANCF, as well as a background for its continued usage.

Fan Noise↗

A 20 Year Retrospective of The Advanced Noise Control Fan - Contributions to Turbofan Noise Research

The Advanced Noise Control Fan (Active Noise Control Fan - ANCF) was utilized in the design, test, and evaluation for technical risk mitigation of most of the innovative fan noise reduction technologies developed by NASA over the past 20 years. The ANCF is a low-speed ducted fan test bed for measuring and understanding fan-generated aeroacoustics, duct propagation, and radiation to the farfield. It is considered a low Technology Readiness Level testbed. The international aeroacoustics research community employed the ANCF to facilitate advancement of multiple noise reduction and measurement technologies, and for code validation. From 1994 to 2016, it was located in the NASA Glenn Research Center's Applied Aero Propulsion Laboratory. In 2016 the ANCF was transferred to the University of Notre Dame where it is expected to continue to positively impact ducted fan aeroacoustic research. This paper summarizes the capabilities and contributions of the ANCF to the field by documenting its history.

Duct Noise↗

Symmetry and Error Mitigation in Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz

Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz (QAOA) provides a platform for probing quantum advantage in optimization problems on NISQ hardware. By exploring symmetries in the system and the structure of unitaries in the algorithm, we proposed using problem-specific mixing operators to limit the quantum evolution within a subspace where the target state lives. As an example, in case of equality constraint, we studied the use of XY operators that preserve total Pauli Z. This QAOA variant, in the noiseless case, significantly outperforms the vanilla version of QAOA where the constraints are encoded as penalty in the cost Hamiltonian and the search is in the whole Hilbert space. In presence of noise, although the advantage still holds, error mitigation is needed for QAOA. I will overview our work on the design of QAOA in presence of symmetry, the implementation and compilation of XY-QAOA, its performance and error mitigation techniques in presence of noise.

Zhihui Wang↗

Prediction of the Aero-Acoustic Performance of Open Rotors

The rising cost of jet fuel has renewed interest in contrarotating open rotor propulsion systems. Contemporary design methods offer the potential to maintain the inherently high aerodynamic efficiency of open rotors while greatly reducing their noise output, something that was not feasible in the 1980's designs. The primary source mechanisms of open rotor noise generation are thought to be the front rotor wake and tip vortex interacting with the aft rotor. In this paper, advanced measurement techniques and high-fidelity prediction tools are used to gain insight into the relative importance of the contributions to the open rotor noise signature of the front rotor wake and rotor tip vortex. The measurements include three-dimensional particle image velocimetry of the intra-rotor flowfield and the acoustic field of a model-scale open rotor. The predictions provide the unsteady flowfield and the associated acoustic field. The results suggest that while the front rotor tip vortex can have a significant influence on the blade passing tone noise produced by the aft rotor, the front rotor wake plays the decisive role in the generation of the interaction noise produced as a result of the unsteady aerodynamic interaction of the two rotors. At operating conditions typical of takeoff and landing operations, the interaction noise level is easily on par with that generated by the individual rotors, and in some cases is even higher. This suggests that a comprehensive approach to reducing open rotor noise should include techniques for mitigating the wake of the front rotor as well as eliminating the interaction of the front rotor tip vortex with the aft rotor blade tip.

VanZante, Dale↗

Prediction of the Aero-Acoustic Performance of Open Rotors

The rising cost of jet fuel has renewed interest in contrarotating open rotor propulsion systems. Contemporary design methods offer the potential to maintain the inherently high aerodynamic efficiency of open rotors while greatly reducing their noise output, something that was not feasible in the 1980's designs. The primary source mechanisms of open rotor noise generation are thought to be the front rotor wake and tip vortex interacting with the aft rotor. In this paper, advanced measurement techniques and high-fidelity prediction tools are used to gain insight into the relative importance of the contributions to the open rotor noise signature of the front rotor wake and rotor tip vortex. The measurements include three-dimensional particle image velocimetry of the intra-rotor flowfield and the acoustic field of a model-scale open rotor. The predictions provide the unsteady flowfield and the associated acoustic field. The results suggest that while the front rotor tip vortex can have a significant influence on the blade passing tone noise produced by the aft rotor, the front rotor wake plays the decisive role in the generation of the interaction noise produced as a result of the unsteady aerodynamic interaction of the two rotors. At operating conditions typical of takeoff and landing operations, the interaction noise level is easily on par with that generated by the individual rotors, and in some cases is even higher. This suggests that a comprehensive approach to reducing open rotor noise should include techniques for mitigating the wake of the front rotor as well as eliminating the interaction of the front rotor tip vortex with the aft rotor blade tip.

Van Zante, Dale E.↗

Core/Combustor-Noise Measurements and Source Separation for the DGEN Aeropropulsion Research Turbofan

Acoustic data obtained using a small turbofan engine are further analyzed with the aim to ultimately enable improved prediction methods and mitigation techniques for turbofan core/combustor noise. The relative impact of this propulsion-noise source for civilian-transport aircraft on airport community noise is expected to significantly increase in the future. Simultaneous high-data-rate acoustic measurements acquired using a circumferential infinite-tube-probe array at the core-nozzle exit in conjunction with a far-field microphone array are processed. The test matrix contains engine operational points from idle to engine-maximum setting, with measurements repeated for different circumferential array configurations, as well as for redundancy. The combustor-noise contribution to the far-field noise signature is obtained using an advanced source-separation method that correlates far-field microphone measurements with a modal decomposition of the unsteady pressure field at the core-nozzle exit. The advantages of the present approach compared to the classical two-signal source-separation method are discussed.

Aeroacoustics↗

Drive Rig Mufflers for Model Scale Engine Acoustic Testing

Testing of air breathing propulsion systems in the 9x15 foot wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center depends on compressed air turbines for power. The drive rig turbines exhaust directly to the wind tunnel test section, and have been found to produce significant unwanted noise that reduces the quality of the acoustic measurements of the model being tested. In order to mitigate this acoustic contamination, a muffler can be attached downstream of the drive rig turbine. The modern engine designs currently being tested produce much less noise than traditional engines, and consequently a lower noise floor is required of the facility. An acoustic test of a muffler designed to mitigate this extraneous noise is presented, and a noise reduction of 8 dB between 700 Hz and 20 kHz was documented, significantly improving the quality of acoustic measurements in the facility.

Stephens, David↗

Applying Sensor Uncertainty Mitigation Schemes to Detect-and-Avoid Systems

Impact of sensor noise on the performance of Detect-And-Avoid (DAA) systems can be reduced by implementing various mitigation schemes. This paper evaluates the Sensor Uncertainty Mitigation (SUM) method, implemented in the Detect and Avoid Alerting Logic for Unmanned Systems (DAIDALUS) algorithm, a reference implementation in the DAA minimum operational performance standards. DAIDALUS SUM performance is evaluated using a few safety and operational suitability metrics and compared with more traditional approaches using static safety buffers. A large number of encounters representative of low-speed unmanned aircraft against non-cooperative manned aircraft are simulated and evaluated. An air-to-air radar model produces representative sensor noise for the DAA system. Results show that increasing the tunable parameters for horizontal and vertical uncertainty in DAIDALUS SUM improves the safety metric at the cost of increasing the number of system alerts leading to increased workload. A range of SUM parameters is recommended as suitable values for the type of operations considered for this work. General trends and optimal SUM configurations were found to be nearly the same for two large and very different encounter data sets.

detect and avoid↗

Time Domain Boundary Element Method Prediction of Noise Shielding by an NACA 0012 Airfoil

As aircraft noise constraints become more stringent and the number/mixture of aircraft configurations grows, the need for improved aircraft noise reduction technologies becomes more evident. To achieve more aggressive noise reduction goals, it becomes more important to not only understand individual aircraft noise sources, but their interaction with nearby aircraft structures as well. For example, the mutual interaction of multiple propulsors and the airframe structure can lead to increased system noise levels. However, these interactions may also offer opportunities for noise reduction. Understanding these interactions and exploring possible approaches to mitigate or exploit their acoustic impact is important for overcoming key noise barriers. This paper presents further validation of a time domain approach for the prediction of the aforementioned interactions between incident noise sources and nearby aircraft structures. Specifically, predictions using a time domain\ boundary element method1, 2 are compared with measured data from a fundamental shielding experiment.3, 4 The test facility and associated measurements are described in Section II. The computational model is then presented in Section III. Comparisons of the predictions with measured data are provided in Section IV. Finally, concluding remarks regarding some of the more significant results and further areas of interest are presented in Section V.

Acoustic scattering↗

Robust Positioning in the Presence of Multipath and NLOS GNSS Signals

GNSS signals can be blocked and reflected by nearby objects, such as buildings, walls, and vehicles. They can also be reflected by the ground and by water. These effects are the dominant source of GNSS positioning errors in dense urban environments, though they can have an impact almost anywhere. Non- line-of-sight (NLOS) reception occurs when the direct path from the transmitter to the receiver is blocked and signals are received only via a reflected path. Multipath interference occurs, as the name suggests, when a signal is received via multiple paths. This can be via the direct path and one or more reflected paths, or it can be via multiple reflected paths. As their error characteristics are different, NLOS and multipath interference typically require different mitigation techniques, though some techniques are applicable to both. Antenna design and advanced receiver signal processing techniques can substantially reduce multipath errors. Unless an antenna array is used, NLOS reception has to be detected using the receiver's ranging and carrier-power-to-noise-density ratio (C/N0) measurements and mitigated within the positioning algorithm. Some NLOS mitigation techniques can also be used to combat severe multipath interference. Multipath interference, but not NLOS reception, can also be mitigated by comparing or combining code and carrier measurements, comparing ranging and C/N0 measurements from signals on different frequencies, and analyzing the time evolution of the ranging and C/N0 measurements.

McGraw, Gary A.↗

Technical Committee on Noise: Researchers and Practitioners

The Technical Committee on Noise (TCNS) includes researchers and industry practitioners interested in understanding noise generation from a variety of sources, its propagation, and its impact on structures, objects, and people. The goal of reducing the impact of this noise, i.e. unwanted sound, has led to innovative model development, measurement techniques, mitigation strategies, and input towards the establishment of regulations. Community noise definition and abatement is of particular interest and motivates the advancement of research on a variety of topics, such as transportation noise, hearing protection, jet and rocket noise, building systems noise and vibration, atmospheric sound propagation, soundscapes, and low-frequency sound. The diverse technical background of TCNS members is essential, given the interdisciplinary nature of this research, and it is mirrored in the topics of special sessions typically held jointly with other ASA technical committees.

noise↗