Synthetic Sound Source Generation for Acoustical Measurements in Turbomachines

One of the greatest challenges in modern aircraft propulsion design is the reduction of the engine noise emission in order to develop quieter aircrafts. In the course of a current research project, the sound transport in low pressure turbines is investigated. For the corresponding experimental measurements, a specific acoustic excitation system is developed which can be implemented into the inlet of a turbine test rig and into an aeroacoustic wind tunnel. This allows for an acoustic mode generation and a synthesis of various sound source patterns to simulate typical turbomachinery noise sources such as rotor-stator interaction, etc. The paper presents the acoustical and technical design methodology in detail and addresses the experimental options of the system. Particular attention is paid to the design and the numerical optimization of the acoustic excitation units. To validate the sound generator during operation, measurements are performed in an aeroacoustic wind tunnel. For this purpose, an in-duct microphone array with a specific beamforming algorithm for hard-walled ducts is developed and applied to identify the source locations. The synthetically excited sound fields and the propagating acoustic modes are measured and analyzed by means of modal decomposition techniques. The measurement principles and the results are discussed in detail and it is shown that the intended sound source is produced and the intended sound field is excited. This paper shall contribute to help guide the development of excitation systems for aeroacoustic experiments to better understanding the physics of sound propagation within turbomachines.