Adaptive Turbofan Noise Active Control

The Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) needs effective turbofan/prop noise abatement technology to respond to increasingly stringent aviation noise regulations for aircraft operating from civilian airports and military bases. To address Navy requirements, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has developed in Phase I a new Adaptive Turbofan Noise Active Control (ATNAC) system based on an entirely novel concept that combines passive/active cancellation technology and adaptive feedback controls. The ATNAC system consists primarily of a reactive noise suppression device and an adaptive neural network control module. In Phase II, POC proposes to develop a fully functional ATNAC system for turbofan engines, including real-time control hardware and smart material hi-fi actuators, and to test our system in a scale near-real turbofan model in an anechoic chamber facility to verify its performance. Phase II will concentrate on developing smart reactive noise suppression devices consisting of smart actuators with passive noise absorbers, for generation of high-fidelity acoustic counter energy and on implementing a further refined adaptive neural network prediction algorithm into fast, real-time parallel processing hardware, including all necessary interfaces and system packaging. POC will integrate all ATNAC components into a fully functional system to be tested in a realistic scenario in an anechoic chamber.