Acoustic Signature Reduction THEM

Audible noise generated from propeller driven aircraft has been extensively studied by aero acoustic scientists and engineers. Manned aircraft and small unmanned aerial vehicles that utilize propellers for propulsion are being fielded by the US Department of Defense (DoD) for diverse missions. Detrimental noise inherent to propeller driven aircraft signals approach and location to hostile ground forces, which then compromises personnel, payload, the aircraft, and mission success. Our novel bio-inspired propeller design will be employed to greatly reduce the noise signature of the emerging Air Force electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Our novel designs will be incorporated into propellers through a modern fabrication technique used to make high-performance parts. Our new design will not compromise thrust, payload capacity, range or flight duration. We will also employ computational models to efficiently and cost-effectively predict optimal designs. Experimental propellers will be evaluated in wind tunnels for noise reduction and aerodynamic performance. Flight tests on scale model eVTOL replicas and full size eVTOL motors will also be conducted. Noise measurements and test protocol described in peer reviewed aero acoustic journals will be followed to accurately measure the effectiveness of our bio-inspired design.