Noise shielding models for the conceptual design of unconventional aircraft

Air trac growth and the expansion of urban areas around airports make the aviation community noise a key aspect of aircraft design. The analysis of innovative con gu- rations is becoming activity of primary interest within the scienti c community. The current e ort to attain the strict noise{abatement targets imposed by the authorities risks to be pro tless without a signi cant technological breakthrough. A promising innovative con guration in terms of noise reduction is the Blended{Wing{Body air- craft. Indeed, the installation of the propulsion system above the centre{body surface ensures a signi cant masking e ect of the engine noise components. The lack of ex- perimental data needed to validate the advantages introduced by these technologies, and therefore carry out parametric analysis, can only be overcome by formulating reliable and cost{e ective models to predict the noise shielding induced by engines installation on unconventional geometries. The present work introduces the develop- ment of tailored models for the correction of the existing semi-empirical prediction techniques. Such models are embedded within the modules of the existing conceptual design framework FRIDA. Without excluding other disciplines, the introduction of a noise prediction tool allows to cast a wide net in the research of optimal con guration in the future aviation context.