Aircraft taking off the runway. Credit: © Queen Mary University of London.

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has received funding from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for a research project to reduce noise from aircraft.

The £422,275 funding will support the Jet Installation Noise Abatement (JINA) project to design and manufacture next-generation of quiet jet engines.

the project that will complement the experimental and optimisation studies at the UK’s University of Bristol as part of a £1m research programme. A global advisory and industrial board will be involved in the project.

QMUL Engineering and Materials Science representative and principal investigator of the research Dr Sergey Karabasov said: “Ever more stringent environmental regulations are now in place to reduce the impact of aircraft noise.

“JINA will help us better understand the noise generation mechanism and for the first time, proposes a well-structured methodology to develop a high-fidelity joint computational and experimental optimisation platform to reduce the jet installation noise.”

“It is, therefore, of great importance for major aviation industries, such as Airbus and Embraer, to better understand the aerodynamic noise generation mechanisms and develop more robust and effective methods to reduce the noise at source.”

The incorporation of new technologies such as high bypass ratio turbofans on modern commercial aircraft has improved the aerodynamic performance of jet engines.

However, new technologies have also introduced an aeroacoustical challenge called ‘jet installation effect’. A significant part of aircraft noise, particularly at take-off, is created by this effect, caused by jet and jet-wing interaction noise.

Dr Karabasov further added: “While a number of very recent studies have provided some insights into the physics of the low-frequency noise amplification heard in the jet installation effect, our current understanding remains very limited.

“JINA will help us better understand the noise generation mechanism and for the first time, proposes a well-structured methodology to develop a high-fidelity joint computational and experimental optimisation platform to reduce the jet installation noise.”

A number of recent studies have found that aircraft noise affects quality of life, productivity, and learning, increasing the risk of hospital admissions and mortality due to strokes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease.