Aerodynamically Induced Pressure Oscillations in Cavities - Physical Mechanisms and Suppression Concepts

This report presents the results of an analytical and experimental research program to (1)improve the understanding of the physical mechanisms that control the occurrence of pressure fluctuations in long and shallow rectangular cavities, exposed to high-speed external flow, and (2)devise and evaluate devices that would either substantially reduce the amplitude of such pressure fluctuations, or totally suppress the occurrence of pressure fluctuations. During this investigation, the understanding of the complex interaction of the external shear layer and the cavity internal fluid medium, which constitutes the generating mechanism of high-intensity periodic pressure fluctuations was substantially furthered. Both the analysis and investigation of the physical mechanisms were aided through extensive shallow-water flow-simulation experiments. Large-scale experiments, using the NASA-Lewis Research Center 8 X 6 ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel were conducted to substantiate some of the analytical predictions and to study in detail the aeroacoustic behavior of cavities in the length-to-depth ratio range, L/D, of 2.3 to 5.5, and the Mach number range of 0. 8 to 2.0. Detailed information was obtained on the normalized levels of the first three resonant modes in the cavity for a range of cavity length-to-depth ratios and freestream Mach numbers. Several concepts for pressure oscillation suppression were developed and evaluated in wind tunnel experiments. The most promising concept utilizes a slanted trailing edge, which stabilizes the free shear flow above the cavity, thus effectively suppressing discrete-tone generation. (Author)