Virtual noise assessment for passenger jet of the future

Empa's AuraLab: The arrangement of the loudspeaker array allows a spatial sound reproduction of artificial overflights. Image: Empa Instead of tubular commercial aircraft, other designs could be used in the future: Jets with a blended wing body would fly more efficiently and make less noise - but how would the noise emissions from these new types of aircraft affect people? researchers have investigated this in their acoustics lab. Aircraft noise is often a nuisance for people living near airports and in flight paths - and, in the worst case, a health hazard: from sleep disorders to cardiovascular diseases. According to a report by the European Environment Agency , around four million people in Europe were exposed to excessive levels of aircraft noise in 2017. New types of aircraft with a blended wing body (BWB), whose fuselage merges seamlessly into the wings - with less air resistance and lower fuel consumption - are seen as a beacon of hope to alleviate this burden. And with lower noise emissions towards the ground if the engines are mounted on top of the fuselage. How would such new long-haul aircraft for around 400 passengers perform compared to conventional aircraft? The Empa team has now published its results in the journal Aerospace Science and Technology.