The Prediction of Interior Noise of Propeller-Driven Aircraft: A Review

Recently developed analytical models for the airborne transmission of propeller noise into airplane cabins are reviewed. Different aspects considered are the representations for the exterior pressure field, fuselage structure and cabin volume. The analytical models require that the excitation be described in terms of amplitude and phase so that the structural response can be calculated. The acoustic power flow into the cabin is then determined in part by the coupling between the modes of the structure and volume. Noise reductions provided by multi-layer sidewall treatments can be modeled by means of the impedance transfer method where, for simplicity, the materials are assumed to be locally reacting. No general analytical model for propeller noise transmission into an aircraft cabin has been validated under flight conditions. However, laboratory tests have provided some initial verification of methods under development.