This seminar will provide a review of the key propeller and rotor noise source mechanisms, their fluid mechanics origins, and an assessment of the state-of-the-art of current noise prediction approaches. Rotor noise is comprised of several components that originate from distinct physical mechanisms, which must generally be treated separately. Furthermore, these distinct noise mechanisms each have unique acoustic radiation patterns that are important to understand the resulting noise of the vehicle. The challenge in using prediction tools for reducing rotor noise through both design and abatement is twofold: 1) choosing the level of fidelity that captures the important physics with enough accuracy; and 2) reducing both the learning curve to use the tools and the computational power required by the noise prediction system to make the prediction tools accessible to both aircraft designers, operators, and land use planners. This presentation will address rotor noise sources relevant to electric vertical lift and takeoff (eVTOL) vehicles and show recent validation results for a range of helicopters.
Professor Brentner has been a faculty member for the past 19 years in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. His research interests focus on rotorcraft and aircraft aeroacoustics, computational aeroacoustics, fluid mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, and high-performance computing. Professor Brentner and his research team have developed the rotorcraft noise prediction code PSU-WOPWOP which is able to predict noise from a rotorcraft with multiple rotors in both steady and maneuvering flight. In recent work, Professor Brentner has assembled a team to develop a noise prediction system for the FAA and validated that system with acoustic flight test data for more than six helicopters. These tools are also applicable to proposed eVTOL, Urban Air Mobility (UAM), and drone vehicles. Prior to joining Penn State, Professor Brentner was a Senior Research Engineer at the NASA Langley Research Center for 17 years.
Professor Brentner has a B. S. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, a M.S. degree in Aeronautics from The George Washington University, JIAFS, and a Ph.D. degree in Acoustics from the University in Cambridge, England. He has authored or co-authored over 156 technical publications and is the recipient of numerous awards. Professor Brentner is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and a past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Helicopter Society.
Monday, April 29, 1pm
NASA Ames Research Center, N258 Conference Room
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