Sonic boom propagation over real topography

Abstract

The effect of elevation variation on sonic boom reflection is investigated using real terrain data. To this end, the full two-dimensional Euler equations are solved using finite-difference time-domain techniques. Numerical simulations are performed for two ground profiles of more than 10 km long, extracted from topographical data of hilly regions, and for two boom waves, a classical N-wave, and a low-boom wave. For both ground profiles, topography affects the reflected boom significantly. Wavefront folding due to terrain depression is notably highlighted. For the ground profile with mild slopes, the time signals of the acoustic pressure at the ground are, however, only slightly modified compared to the flat reference case, and the associated noise levels differ by less than 1 dB. With steep slopes, the contribution due to wavefront folding has a large amplitude at the ground. This results in an amplification of the noise levels: a 3 dB increase occurs at 1% of the positions along the ground surface, and a maximum of 5–6 dB is reached near the terrain depressions. These conclusions are valid for the N-wave and low-boom wave.