Jet-surface interaction noise prediction

Developing understanding of, and predictive models for, effects of installation on jet noise. In particular effect of pylon wakes.
Aircraft noise is an important issue for communities close to busy airports. One particular noise source arises from the interaction between the engine exhaust flow and nearby airframe surfaces (e.g. the high-lift flap for under-wing-mounted turbofan aircraft). More specifically, as the surface trailing edge is brought closer to the flow, the otherwise non-propagating hydrodynamic pressure field produced by the turbulent jet suddenly transforms into a fully-propagating acoustic field, which can be heard both on the ground and within the aircraft cabin. This flow-surface interaction mechanism is also fundamental to several other real-world applications (e.g. wake-window interaction noise from automotive A-pillar wing mirrors) as well as several future integrated engine-wing concepts.
Matthew Wellman will join the jet noise team at the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre. The jet team research all aspects of jet noise using experimental, numerical and analytical approaches. The candidate will support the current research effort looking at the noise produced by jet-flap interaction, which is of significant interest to Rolls-Royce.