Inside NASA Glenn’s Aircraft Noise and Propulsion Research Facilities
NASA Glenn Research Center uses wind tunnels, acoustic chambers and engine test rigs to study propulsion, airflow and aircraft noise.
FlyMarshall Newsroom · via NASA Glenn Research Center: Acoustics Experimental Facilities1 min read
NASA Glenn Research Center’s acoustics facilities give researchers controlled settings to examine aircraft-engine airflow, propulsion and sound. The work spans tests that model the takeoff and landing environment, studies of jet-noise reduction, and measurements of acoustic materials and equipment.
NASA Glenn’s Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig can test single-stream nozzles up to 5 centimeters in diameter at Mach 2.0 and 800 kelvin.
What has been confirmed
NASA’s facility information describes the center’s 9×15 Low-Speed Wind Tunnel, Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory and Acoustical Testing Laboratory, along with several propulsion and acoustic test rigs. The source places the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig, Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig and DGEN 380 turbofan research test bed at the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory. These details are likely based on the supplied fact set; that set does not classify them as officially confirmed.Why it matters
The facilities let researchers study how engine design and operating conditions affect sound and airflow before applying findings to aircraft technology. The Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig, for example, uses scale-model nozzles to evaluate jet-noise reduction concepts under simulated conditions associated with takeoff and landing.FlyMarshall context
Wind tunnels control airflow around models or test equipment, while acoustic chambers limit reflections so researchers can measure sound more precisely. NASA Glenn’s 9×15 tunnel focuses on engine aerodynamics and acoustics in takeoff-and-landing conditions. Its Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory has a 65-foot-radius geodesic dome, and researchers can configure the test area to absorb sound either across the room or from the floor and walls. The Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig tests nozzles up to 5 centimeters wide at Mach 2.0 and 800 kelvin, supporting jet-flow and noise measurements as well as computational-code validation.What happens next
The source describes the facilities and their research uses but gives no schedule for future tests, new equipment or research results.Continue reading
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