LES of the Flow and Acoustics Generated by an Aircraft Fan Running in the Vicinity of the Ground

Abstract

An important component of the aircraft generated noise, especially ahead of it, is the fan noise created by the high velocity variation near the blades and the interaction of the rotating fan with the fluid. In order to predict the sound, the method used involves the acoustical analogy developed by Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings. Computation of the flow field is performed in the incompressible LES framework, while the noise is evaluated using a non-homogeneous wave equation. In this work the influence of the angle between the fan and ground, on the total sound spectrum, the noise generation and the noise propagation is investigated. It is found that the near field is dominated by the blade passage frequency and an upward inclination of the fan will produce a slightly different sound pressure level than a horizontal or downward inclination.