Aerofoil Self Noise Radiations Subjected to Serration Flap Angles

Abstract

Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Besides the investigation of the aeroacoustics responses of an asymmetric aerofoil subjected to serrated trailing edge flap angles from negative (flap-down) to positive (flap-up), this paper also provides a new perspective on the physical mechanisms of broadband noise reduction by a serrated trailing edge. The blade-loading effect, which is a function of the length and flap angle for a straight/non-serrated trailing edge flat plate, plays a considerable role in the self-noise radiation that is hitherto less recognised. When the same trailing edge flat plate is cut into a sawtooth serration shape, the self-noise reduction will be underpinned simultaneously by both the serration effect (dominant) and the blade-loading effect. The results demonstrate that the far-field radiation of a serrated aerofoil can be manipulated significantly depending on the direction of the flap angle. In the flap-down configuration, the blade-loading will become a negative factor that causes a deterioration of the noise reduction performance across the entire frequency range. In the flap-up configuration, three spectral frequencies zones can be defined. At the low-frequency zone, the diminished cross-flow at the sawtooth gaps will impede the noise reduction capability. At the central-frequency zone, the re-distribution of the turbulence sources and reduction in the turbulence spanwise length scales will enhance the noise reduction performance. Improvement in the noise performance can also be achieved at the high-frequency zone owing to the lack of interaction between the cross-flow and sawtooth structure. A new concept is positively demonstrated by varying the serration flap angle as a periodic function across the spanwise direction (spanwise wavy serration). When compared to a non-flap serrated trailing edge, the spanwise wavy serration is found to further increase the noise reduction level between the central and high-frequency regions. [Graphical abstract available on full text].