
AeroAcoustics Research Consortium (AARC)
The AeroAcoustics Research Consortium is a partnership among NASA Glenn Research Center, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce, managed by OAI, designed to promote world-class aeroacoustics research and sustained interaction between researchers and consortium members.
AARC Year End Review is Monday November 2 and Monday November 9, 2020 from 9:30 am to 12:30pm EST (VIRTUAL EVENT)
The Challenge
The environmental impact of noise emissions associated with the commercial aviation will continue to pose a challenge to aircraft designer well into the 21st century. Even though improvements in aircraft design and the introduction of noise reduction technology have been effective in reducing aircraft noise emissions over the years, the anticipated growth in air traffic and increased sensitivity to noise near airports will likely require even quieter aircraft to offset the projected growth. To eliminate the impact of aviation noise on the communities surrounding the airports, the objectionable aircraft noise must be contained within the airport boundary.
To address this challenge, NASA has adopted a generational approach to aircraft noise reduction and is working with industry and academia to develop technology portfolios that can provide the basis for meeting generational noise reduction goals. These goals are, respectively, 32, 42 and 52 dB noise reductions, on cumulative basis, relative to the Chapter 4 noise limits for the N+1, N+2 and N+3 generation aircraft where N denotes the current generation of aircraft. The community of scientists and engineers engaged in propulsion noise research will need to overcome many challenges in order to meet NASA’s aggressive aircraft noise reduction goals.
To complement the NASA and industry aeroacoustics research efforts, both new ideas and a rethinking of the old ones are needed to ensure an effective approach to noise reduction research that includes both near-term and long-term elements.
The Challenge Accepted
To address these needs, the AeroAcoustics Research Consortium (AARC) was established by NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) and its industry partners in 2001. The consortium, which is administered by the Ohio Aerospace Institute partners, currently includes as members, Honeywell, NASA GRC, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce. The goal of the consortium is to attract US and international experts to work on pre-competitive aeroacoustic research topics of interest to the consortium members. The researchers who are funded by the consortium are expected to stay connected with the AARC member organizations throughout the funding period and report results at the completion of the study. As such, AARC represents a dynamic, supplementary, workforce of researchers that is regularly replenished. Experienced university faculty, new PhD’s, as well independent scientist and engineers, who are performing cutting edge aeroacoustics research are sought in order to bring new ideas, methods, and concepts to the AARC partners. Researchers are also invited from U.S. industry and governmental laboratories to complement this virtual workforce. The research that is funded is not export controlled (i.e., subject to EAR or the ITAR rules).
The mission of the AeroAcoustics Research Consortium is:
To establish an organizational structure to promote world-class aeroacoustics research while providing a stimulating environment that can attract high quality researchers in this area and complement the AARC member organizations research activities in aeroacoustics.
Analytical (numerical) as well as experimental pre-competitive research is the focus of the Aeroacoustics Research Consortium focused on commercial airframe propulsion systems. Current areas of interest include:
- 3D and installed jet noise
- Computational aeroacoustics (CAA)
- Combustor and turbine noise
- Fan and open rotor noise (in particular broadband and installed noise)
The objectives of the Aeroacoustics Research Consortium are:
- To attract acoustics experts from around the world to have direct interaction with GRC and industry researchers.
- To concentrate research efforts on technical barrier problems associated with engine noise prediction and reduction.
- To emphasize fundamental understanding of noise generation from engine components, e.g., propulsors, jets, and core through analytical and experimental methods.
The Aeroacoustics Research Consortium regularly organizes and hosts technical meetings, seminars, and workshops that bring additional focus and visibility to the aeroacoustics research.
Since its inception in 2001, the Aeroacoustics Research Consortium has continued to provide cost effective, targeted research efforts that complement the NASA and industry in-house research activities in aeroacoustics.
No Technical Data Subject to EAR or the ITAR
Research Participant Information
Projects funded by the AeroAcoustics Research Consortium are selected based on technical proposals submitted by international researchers from academia, industry or government agencies. Only pre-competitive research which will not result in technology subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) under United States export control law will be considered. Proposals are continuously accepted for review by the Peer Review Panel. For information on the current technical interests of the Consortium members, please see the Aeroacoustics Research Consortium Guidelines document below or contact Dr. Stewart J. Leib at StewartLeib@oai.org or 440.962.3103.
It is requested that prospective proposers first submit a brief pre-proposal, describing their ideas and the potential impact of their work on noise-reduction technologies of interest to Consortium members. AARC projects are typically funded for one year with the possibility of additional follow-on work at the members’ discretion. It is requested, therefore, that pre-proposals include examples of specific of deliverables and estimated costs for a one-year effort along with any projected plans for a longer term. Examples of deliverables include: new knowledge and understanding, new reduced-order modeling and prediction capability, computer codes and computational and experimental databases.
Research participants are expected to engage in significant interactions with NASA and industry Consortium members during their funding period. This includes on-site visits to member facilities for direct interactions with their technical staffs and presentations of lectures and seminars with updates on project status. Proposed budgets should include these travel costs.
After review of a submitted pre-proposal by the Peer Review Panel, researchers will be provided with feedback and guidance on whether to proceed with submission of a full proposal.
Sample templates that may be used for the submission of pre- and full proposals are given below. Other formats containing substantially the same information are also acceptable.
Guidelines for proposal content and evaluation criteria are also found below.
For additional information and to submit a proposal, please contact Dr. Stewart J. Leib at StewartLeib@oai.org or (440) 962-3103.
Aeroacoustics Research Consortium Guidelines
Download (8K) the document.
Aeroacoustics Research Consortium Proposal Evaluation Criteria and Weighting
Download (9K) the document.
Current Research Participants:
Past Research Participants:
- Dr. Fang Hu
- Dr. Sergey Karabasov
- Dr. Christopher Tam
- Dr. Krish K. Ahuja
- Dr. Hafiz M. Atassi
- Dr. Tim Colonius
- Dr. Robert Dougherty
- Dr. Stewart Glegg
- Donald Hanson
- Dr. Sanjiva Lele
- Dr. Anastasios Lyrintzis
- Dr. Ramani Mani
- Dr. Philip J. Morris
- Joseph Verdon
- Dr. Bruce Walker
Annual Year End Reviews Group Photos
Peer Review Panel
The organizational structure of the AARC consists of a part-time Administration, Coordination Team (Director and Program Manager at OAI), and Peer Review Panel. The Peer Review Panel consists of representatives from NASA Glenn Research Center, OAI, and participating industry members:
The duties of the Peer Review Panel are as follows:
- Prioritize Consortium technical needs
- Guide proposals to funding sources, including the selection of participating researchers
- Oversee the operation of the Consortium
Stewart Leib Director 22800 Cedar Point Road Brook Park, OH 44142 440.962.3103 StewartLeib@oai.org | Stephen Warthman Director, Contracts 22800 Cedar Point Road Brook Park, OH 44142 440.962.3018 StephenWarthman@oai.org |
Contact Information
Stewart Leib Ohio Aerospace Institute 22800 Cedar Point Road Brook Park, OH 44142 Phone: 440.962.3103 StewartLeib@oai.org |
NASA Points of Contact
Edmane Envia, Acoustics Branch NASA Glenn Research Center 21000 Brookpark Road Mail Stop 54-3 Cleveland, OH 44135 Phone: 216.433.8956 Edmane.Envia-1@nasa.gov |
Industry Points of Contact
Bill Schuster Installation Aerodynamics & Acoustics Honeywell Aerospace 111 South 34th St. M/S 503-428 Phoenix, AZ 85034 Bill.Schuster@honeywell.com | Ramons A. Reba, Ph.D. Associate Director, Acoustics and Aeromechanics Pratt and Whitney 400 Main Street, M/S 173-08 East Hartford, CT 06108 Phone: 860.565.9389 Ramons.Reba@pw.utc.com |
Dr. Kevin Britchford MRAeS CEng, Aeroacoustics Specialist, System Design – Trent Hall 1F (SinA-17), Rolls-Royce plc. PO Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ. U.K. Phone: +44 (0) 1332 247510 Mobile: +44 (0) 7870 242685 kevin.britchford@rolls-royce.com | Amr Ali Acoustics Discipline Chief Pratt and Whitney Pratt and Whitney 400 Main Street M/S 173-08 East Hartford, CT 06118 Phone: 860.565.4888 Fax: 860.755.4615 amr.ali@pw.utc.com |
Craig Aaron Reimann, Ph.D. Engineer, Acoustics Group (T&FS Dept.) United Technologies Research Center 411 Silver Lane, M/S 129-17 East Hartford, CT 06108 Phone: 860.610.7746 ReimanCA@utrc.utc.com |