Evaluating Propeller-Wing Interactional Noise Predictions from a Medium-Fidelity Approach

Propeller-wing interactions are a complex noise phenomenon and the noise prediction of these interactions is extremely relevant for the design and production of novel VTOL aircraft. This research provides a better understanding of these interactions from a medium-fidelity approach. The medium-fidelity approach can offer more rapid understanding of the acoustic impact of a design than high-fidelity approaches, but given the complexity of the propeller and wing flow interactions, the validity of acoustic predictions is of concern. This paper studies the noise directivity of multiple propeller-wing configurations with comparisons against experimental and high-fidelity CFD. The studies performed involve an isolated propeller, three wing positions in propeller-wing setups, and two cases where the wing-only and propeller and wing are placed at a 5-degree angle of attack. The results provided include per-source acoustic time pressure histories, in-plane SPL spectra, and stereographic projections of hemisphere array directivity. This research demonstrates that a medium-fidelity approach is capable of estimating propeller-wing interaction noise but with some discrepancies between experiment, medium-fidelity, and high-fidelity.