Predicting and reducing aircraft noise

Astley, R.J., Agarwal, A., Joseph, P.F., Self, R.H., Smith, M.G., Sugimoto, R. and Tester, B.J. (2007) Predicting and reducing aircraft noise. 14th International Congress on Sound and Vibration, Cairns, Australia. 08 - 11 Jul 2007. 34 pp .

Abstract

Air travel in the UK has increased five-fold over the last 30 years. Half the population now flies at least once a year and freight traffic at UK airports has doubled since 1990. Similar statistics hold for other developed countries. It is likely that this growth will be eclipsed in the years to come by the expansion in civil aviation within emerging giants such as India and China.
Civil aviation links distant communities for social and business purposes and gives affordable access to foreign travel for leisure purposes. It is unlikely however that the global community can continue to enjoy the benefits of air travel through increased capacity regardless of environmental cost. To tackle this problem, a balanced approach is essential which recognises the importance of air travel, but which also deals with environmental issues such as noise and emissions. Predicting the effects of noise and emissions is a first essential step towards such a solution. This article focuses on the prediction of aircraft noise and on developing noise reduction technologies.
The aircraft noise issue is that of reducing the environmental impact of exterior noise at take-off and approach. This constitutes a major nuisance to residents near airports. It has resulted in stringent local airport regulations, such as the ‘quota count’ system at Heathrow, which are now more restrictive in defining acceptable limits for aircraft noise than are the international noise regulations promulgated by ICAO which first brought aircraft noise within a regulatory framework in the sixties and seventies.
In this article, the major sources of noise in a modern aircraft are discussed, and current techniques for predicting aircraft noise are reviewed. These include the effects of source definition and acoustic treatment. Recent advances in noise reduction technology will be presented and their performance assessed in the light of noise targets set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE) in their ‘vision 2010’ and ‘vision 2020’ plans. Finally some specific noise reduction technologies will be described which have been developed and assessed in recent EC projects.

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Contributors

Author: P.F. Joseph

Author: B.J. Tester

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