French industry has launched a noise reduction research initiative, backed by the country's civil aviation authority. The initiative will focus on reducing aircraft noise directly, by optimising the combination of engine and systems design, materials and operations, writes Robert Holbach in London.
The research effort involves six French stakeholders: Airbus, CNRS (the national scientific research centre), Dassault Aviation, Eurocopter, Snecma and France's aerospace research agency ONERA, which will co-ordinate the programme, dubbed IROQUA.
The research is not sponsored by the government, but "complementary funding" is being sought for IROQUA. Meanwhile, programme participants are pledged to pool their research and "initiate new common studies" into noise reduction.
In addition to active design measures, passive measures such as flight procedures will come under the microscope. The group expects to focus on computational methods, and this may lead to the production of numerical tools that can satisfy the industry demand for quick noise estimates for early draft designs. An IROQUA representative explains: "The results expected from this convention are not ‘direct' results, but better synergies or a first common suggestion for a specific study." A first common project proposal is expected within about six months.
One of the IROQUA aims is to co-ordinate and support research undertaken at a variety of organisations and, through teamwork, give French industry a competitive advantage. One aim is to enable European aviation to meet the 10dB aircraft noise reduction goal – effectively halving perceived noise – set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe to be achieved by 2020.
Source: Flight International
