Control strategies for aircraft airframe noise reduction

With the development of low-noise aircraft engine, airframe noise now represents a major noise source during the commercial aircraft＇s approach to landing phase. Noise control efforts have therefore been extensively focused on the airframe noise problems in order to further reduce aircraft overall noise. In this review, various control methods explored in the last decades for noise reduction on airframe components including high-lift devices and landing gears are summarized. We introduce recent major achievements in airframe noise reduction with passive control methods such as fairings, deceleration plates, splitter plates, acoustic liners, slat cove cover and side-edge replacements, and then discuss the potential and control mechanism of some promising active flow control strategies for airframe noise reduction, such as plasma technique and air blowing/suction devices. Based on the knowledge gained throughout the extensively noise control testing, a few design concepts on the landing gear, high-lift devices and whole aircraft are provided for advanced aircraft low-noise design. Finally, discussions and suggestions are given for future research on airframe noise reduction.

An artificial neural network approach for aerodynamic performance retention in airframe noise reduction design of a 3D swept wing model

With the progress of high-bypass turbofan and the innovation of silencing nacelle in engine noise reduction, airframe noise has now become another important sound source besides the engine noise. Thus, reducing airframe noise makes a great contribution to the overall noise reduction of a civil aircraft. However, reducing airframe noise often leads to aerodynamic performance loss in the meantime. In this case, an approach based on artificial neural network is introduced. An established database serves as a basis and the training sample of a back propagation （BP） artificial neural network, which uses confidence coefficient reasoning method for optimization later on. Then the most satisfactory configuration is selected for validating computations through the trained BP network. On the basis of the artificial neural network approach, an optimization pro- cess of slat cove filler （SCF） for high lift devices （HLD） on the Trap Wing is presented. Aerody- namic performance of both the baseline and optimized configurations is investigated through unsteady detached eddy simulations （DES）, and a hybrid method, which combines unsteady DES method with acoustic analogy theory, is employed to validate the noise reduction effect. The numerical results indicate not merely a significant airframe noise reduction effect but also excellent aerodynamic performance retention simultaneously.

STUDY ON FLAP SIDE-EDGE NOISE BASED ON THE FLY-OVER MEASUREMENTS WITH A PLANAR MICROPHONE ARRAY

A large planar microphone array, which consists of 111 microphones, was successfully applied to measure a two dimensional mapping of the sound sources on landing aircraft. The focus was on the flap side edge noise source in this paper. The spectra, directivity and sound pressure level of flap side edge noise of 10 aircraft were presented in this paper. It is found that the spectrum of flap side edge noise is a broadband noise with some tones in some cases. Two different types of tone sources are found. It is proposed that one type of these tone sources is trailing edge semi baffled dipole source, and another is produced from the shedding of vortex from the wing cusp. The total sound pressure level of flap side edge broadband noise has no obvious directionality. However, the directivity of the tone noise in the flap side edge noise spectrum is obvious. It is demonstrated that the local flow field is the key to controlling the flap side edge noise.