The Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL) photographed on October 24, 2024 as seen from above. This facility provides world class testing for aircraft propulsion acoustic noise reduction and is 65 ft high by 130 ft in diameter. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)
Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL, Interactive 360 Tour
Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL Refurbishment Documentation Photographs from Time-lapse
Modern jet engines are loud, but they used to be much louder. NASA’s Glenn Research Center has been at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to reduce aircraft engine noise for over 70 years. During this time, the center has built an array of test facilities to carry out this work, culminating in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL), a world-class noise-reduction research facility. The AAPL, referred to as “the dome,” contains multiple test rigs enclosed in a large, echo-free chamber. The unique 130-foot diameter and 65-foot-high hemispherical structure stands out on Glenn’s campus. Its triangular sections make it appear like a golf ball rising from the ground. The interior is covered in spiky, fiberglass sound-dampening wedges and an overhead array of microphones that capture engine noise data.
Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL
Advanced Noise Control Fan, ANCF, in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL
Advanced Noise Control Fan, ANCF, in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL
Truck Mounted Turbofan Engine in Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL, Facility
Truck Mounted Turbofan Engine in Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL, Facility
Advanced Noise Control Fan, ANCF, in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL
Truck Mounted Turbofan Engine in Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL, Facility
Winter Season Weather Scenic Photos of NASA Glenn Research Center, GRC, Acoustic Dome for Archive and Instagram; Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory, AAPL, Exterior
Aero Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL); Williams Engine test for business class jet aircraft
The Advanced Noise Control Fan shown here is located in NASA Glenn’s Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory. The 4-foot diameter fan is used to evaluate innovate aircraft engine noise reduction concepts less expensively and more quickly.
New testing is underway in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL) at NASA's Glenn Research Center. The research focuses on a model called the Highly Variable Cycle Exhaust System -- a 0.17 scale model of an exhaust system that will operate at subsonic, transonic and supersonic exhaust speeds in a future supersonic business jet. The model features ejector doors used at different angles. Researchers are investigating the impact of these ejectors on the resulting acoustic radiation. Here, Steven Sedensky, a mechanical engineer with Jacobs Sverdrup, takes measurements of the ejector door positions.
Title: W-8 Fan Acoustic Casing Treatment Test on the Source Diagnostic Test Rotor Alone Hardware Program: Advanced Air Vehicles Program (AAVP) Project: Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) Sub-project: Aircraft Noise Reduction (ANR) Weekly Highlight: · Acoustic Casing Treatment Testing Completed in the W-8 Single Stage Axial Compressor Facility: Testing of Acoustic Casing Treatments on the Source Diagnostic Test (SDT) rotor alone hardware which had begun in early January was completed on Thursday, February 16th. Four different over-the-rotor acoustic casing treatment concepts were tested along with two baseline configurations. Testing included steady-aerodynamic measurements of fan performance, hotfilm turbulence measurements, and inlet acoustic measurements with an in-duct array. These measurements will be used to assess the aerodynamic and acoustic impact of fan acoustic casing treatments on a high bypass ratio fan at TRL 3. This test was the last of 3 planned tests of potential over-the-rotor acoustic casing treatments. The first treatment test was completed in the Normal Incidence Tube (NIT) at Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Fall 2015 and the second was completed on the Advanced Noise Control Fan (ANCF) in the Aero-Acoustic Propulsion Laboratory (AAPL) in Winter 2016. This work is supported by the Aircraft Noise Reduction (ANR) subproject of the Advanced Air Transport Technology (AATT) Project. (POC: LTV/ Rick Bozak 3-5160)