Airplane Noise: The Main Culprit is Not Engine
Jennifer Viegas
Discovery News
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Noisy airplanes flying over homes and neighborhoods emit a roaring, whirring din that sounds as if it might come from the engine, but researchers have determined the primary cause of the noise is airflow over the plane's wings, flaps and landing gear.
Given the busy holiday travel season, the overall increase in air travel worldwide and the construction and expansion of airports, airplane noise is on the rise, as are complaints related to everything from sleepless nights to possible environmental impacts. According to a recent University of Florida press release, engineers hoping to reduce the racket have just completed construction of a wind tunnel that simulates flight conditions and is enabling researchers to figure out exactly why airplanes often cause so much noise.
One of the project's leaders, Lou Cattafesta, explained to Discovery News what he and his team have learned so far. Cattafesta, an associate professor at UFL's Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, added, "Various components on the airplane are bluff, like the landing gear, and produce significant unsteady flow in (their) wake that produce audible sound."
Yet another source of airplane noise results from turbulence, such as small vortices or eddies in the air flow, that interact with parts of the plane to create what the researchers call "aerodynamic noise."
Dec 18, 2005
Jennifer ViegasDiscovery News
____________
Noisy airplanes flying over homes and neighborhoods emit a roaring, whirring din that sounds as if it might come from the engine, but researchers have determined the primary cause of the noise is airflow over the plane's wings, flaps and landing gear.
Given the busy holiday travel season, the overall increase in air travel worldwide and the construction and expansion of airports, airplane noise is on the rise, as are complaints related to everything from sleepless nights to possible environmental impacts. According to a recent University of Florida press release, engineers hoping to reduce the racket have just completed construction of a wind tunnel that simulates flight conditions and is enabling researchers to figure out exactly why airplanes often cause so much noise.
One of the project's leaders, Lou Cattafesta, explained to Discovery News what he and his team have learned so far. Cattafesta, an associate professor at UFL's Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, added, "Various components on the airplane are bluff, like the landing gear, and produce significant unsteady flow in (their) wake that produce audible sound."
Yet another source of airplane noise results from turbulence, such as small vortices or eddies in the air flow, that interact with parts of the plane to create what the researchers call "aerodynamic noise."
Dec 18, 2005
