Scattering and distortion of the unsteady motion on transversely sheared mean flows

Abstract

It is shown that the pressure and velocity fluctuations of the unsteady motion on a transversely sheared mean flow can be expressed entirely in terms of the derivatives of two potential functions. One of these is a convected quantity (i.e. it is frozen in the flow) that can be specified as a boundary condition and is related to a transverse component of the upstream velocity field. The other can be determined by solving an inhomogeneous wave equation whose source term is also a convected quantity that can be specified as a boundary condition in any given problem. The latter is related to the curl of the upstream vorticity field. The results are used to obtain an explicit representation of the three-dimensional gust-like or hydrodynamic motion on a transversely sheared mean flow. It is thereby shown that this motion is ‘driven’ entirely by the two convected quantities alluded to above.The general theory is used to study the interaction of an unsteady flow with a scmi-infinite plate embedded in a shear layer. The acoustic field produced by this interaction is calculated in the limits of low and high frequency. The results are compared with experimental one-third octave sound pressure level radiation patterns. The agreement is found to be excellent, especially in the low frequency range, where the mean-flow and convective effects are shown to have a strong influence on the directivity of the sound.