Characterization of Slat Noise Radiation from a High-Lift Common Research Model

Abstract

A test campaign was conducted in the open-jet test section of the NASA Langley Research Center’s 14- by 22-Foot Subsonic Tunnel on a 10%-scale semispan version of the High-Lift Common Research Model incorporating a leading-edge slat, a trailing-edge flap, and removable high-fidelity main landing gear. Computational simulations were used to support the model development, provide important information such as load distributions along the high-lift elements, and aid in the design of noise reduction devices. Aerodynamic and far-field acoustic measurements were obtained on baseline and acoustically treated model configurations using an ensemble of time-averaged and unsteady surface pressure sensors paired with a traversing 97-microphone phased array viewing the pressure side of the airframe. A deconvolution method incorporating corrections for shear layer acoustic wave decorrelation was employed to determine the locations and strengths of relevant noise sources along the span of the slat and in the vicinity of the flap edges and landing gear. The main goal of the test campaign was to use the surface pressure and array data to evaluate the effectiveness of various slat noise reduction concepts. It was found that slat-gap fillers produced significant broadband noise reduction with minimal aerodynamic performance penalties for all Mach numbers and airfoil angles of attack that were investigated. The test campaign clearly demonstrated the noise reduction benefits that can be obtained by applying appropriate treatments to leading-edge slats on commercial transport-class aircraft.