Development of an Adaptive Helmholtz Resonator for Broadband Noise Control

Abstract

This paper presents the development of adaptive Helmholtz resonators aimed at controlling broadband disturbance for the reduction of noise transmission into rocket payload fairing. Helmholtz resonators are commonly used for narrow band control application and so are designed to present the lowest amount of damping yielding maximum impedance. For this particular application however, optimal damping ratios usually superior to 4% are required. This relatively high level of damping permits more lightweight and compact design options to be considered that are not possible for low damping applications. Two design solutions are presented. The first tunes the resonator by varying the length of an accordion neck. The second varies the HR opening using an iris diaphragm. The characteristics of these two devices are measured, and a solution to maintain the damping level relatively constant is also proposed. Finally, experimental result obtained in a large cylinder representative of a payload fairing using 8 adaptive resonators is presented.