QUIET AEROFOIL WITH ADAPTIVE POROUS SURFACES (QUADPORS)

Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: Sch of Engineering

Abstract

Introducing porosity onto an aerofoil has been shown to have a significant influence on the boundary layer and provide significant reductions in its noise radiation. This proposal describes a multi-disciplinary research project aimed at understanding and exploiting the interactions between porous aerofoils and the boundary layers developing over them for the purpose of optimising noise reductions without compromising aerodynamic performance. The use of adaptive manufacturing technology will be investigated for providing the optimum porosity at different operating conditions.
 
Description The main outcome of this project is that introducing even a small amount of porosity close to the leading edge and trailing edge of an aerofoil, which has negligible impact on its aerodynaic performance, can produce significant reductions in both leading edge and trailing edge noise.
Exploitation Route This technology is of direct application to wind turbines and other applications involving rotating blades, such as UAVs and drones.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Energy

Environment

Transport

 
Description SURFACE TREATMENTS FOR NEXT GENERATION QUIET AEROFOILS
Amount £1,200,000 (GBP)
Funding ID X313200X 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 07/2021 
End 08/2024
 
Description Collaboration with Dr Thomas Geyer at Cotbus University in Germany on the use of porous materials for noise reduction 
Organisation Deutsches Zentrum für Musiktherapieforschung
Country Germany 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution One of the partners of the project, Dr Philip Woodhead, has spent at the University of Cotbus in Germany working on a new low-noise aerofoil
Collaborator Contribution Philip Has aquired new data in the wind tunnel facility at Cotbus, which is currenly being analysed.
Impact Data is currently being analysed
Start Year 2021
 
Description Collaboration with scientists at Cambridge University 
Organisation University of Cambridge
Department Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Provision of experimental data.
Collaborator Contribution Regular meetings with academics from Cambridge applied maths dept whose work compliments our own
Impact conference papers
Start Year 2021
 
Description Collaboration with scientists at TU Delft 
Organisation Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
Country Netherlands 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Transfer of idea to TU Delft to start collaboration
Collaborator Contribution Our post-doc is working for 2 weeks in TU Delft for us to learn of their experimental methods.
Impact None yet
Start Year 2021