Simulation process for perception-based noise optimization of conventional and novel aircraft concepts

Kurzfassung

Noise from civil air traffic affects millions of people worldwide. Aircraft noise management should be addressed by different principal elements, such as noise reduction at the source and noise abatement operational procedures. To date, usually conventional noise metrics are applied towards the acoustical optimization while noise effects are usually only indirectly accounted for. The objective of this contribution is the optimization of conventional and novel aircraft concepts with respect to their evoked aircraft noise annoyance. The optimization will be based on the perceived sound and the associated annoyance. To do so, virtual aircraft flyovers are auralized based on noise level predictions, i.e. they are artificially made audible. The auralization is accomplished by parametric sound synthe- sis and a 3D spatial audio technique. Short-term noise annoyance is measured through controlled listening experiments in which participants rate the level of annoyance for each auralized flyover. The aircraft design and the flight path are evaluated according to the associated annoyance. The subsequent ranking can be compared to a conventional ranking based on standard noise metrics. The results of such a study will help to identify parameters describing aircraft and flight path parameters that have an impact on noise annoyance. Consequently, these parameters can then be selected for further optimization to reach even lower levels of noise annoyance and not simply reduce standard noise metrics. Ultimately, the main goal of the research is optimizing the noise annoyance of (novel) aircraft along tailored flight paths. This contribution documents the status quo of the joint DLR and Empa activities, i.e., the structure of a pilot study. First results that were obtained while developing the methodology and the test cases within the pilot study are presented.