Supersonic Jet Noise Reduction by Chevrons and Fluidic Injection

This work focuses on the noise reduction capabilities of chevrons, fluidic injection, and a combination of both. The control mechanisms were experimentally investigated for over, under, and ideally expanded operating conditions. Acoustic far-field data was collected to quantify noise reductions and changes to the flow field through use of theoretical relations. Results show appreciable noise reduction by both fluidic injection and chevrons. Optimal performance of the two technologies occured at opposite ends of the operation envelope, with the chevrons performing better in the underexpanded regime and the fluidics in the overexpanded regime. The combination of the two technologies was also shown to achieve substantial noise reduction, but direct additive benefits were not always gained. This result is still important as it shows fluidic injection can be employed on complex geometry nozzles, such as that on the F-35, and still achieve noise reduction.