Numerical investigation on acoustic installation effects of blended wing-body aircraft

The Blended Wing-Body (BWB) aircraft has attracted significant interest due to its superior noise reduction capabilities compared to conventional aircraft designs. A critical factor in this noise reduction is the installation effect, which involves the interaction between engine fan noise and the airframe structure. While Boundary Element Methods (BEM) are frequently employed to analyze sound scattering in such contexts, most open-source tools lack comprehensive integrated source models and fail to account for background flow effects, limiting their applicability for detailed airframe-engine noise interaction studies. In this research, a uniform-flow scattering model is developed by leveraging an open-source BEM library (Bempp-cl), incorporating duct acoustic mode theory, and applying the Prantdl-Glauert-Lorentz (P-G-L) transformation. The model’s accuracy is validated through benchmarks involving sphere scattering and ducted source configurations. Additionally, a parametric analysis of BWB acoustics is conducted, evaluating key factors such as aircraft configuration, frequency, Mach number, and duct placement. This analysis demonstrates the method’s precision and computational efficiency, establishing it as an effective tool for accurate noise prediction and the optimization of BWB aircraft configurations to minimize acoustic emissions.