Inversion of spinning sound fields

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method for reconstructing spinning sound source distributions from acoustic measurements, capable of handling multiple azimuthal modes and providing insights into the limits of source reconstruction accuracy.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel two-stage method for reconstructing rotating monopole source distributions from far-field acoustic data, including a derivation of the radiation integral and mode decomposition approach.

Findings

Method successfully reconstructs source distributions from simulated data.

Reveals the band-limited nature of far-field pressure and its impact on reconstruction quality.

Applicable to wind-tunnel and automotive noise control scenarios.

Abstract

A method is presented for the reconstruction of rotating monopole source distributions using acoustic pressures measured on a sideline parallel to the source axis. The method requires no \textit{a priori} assumptions about the source other than that its strength at the frequency of interest vary sinusoidally in azimuth on the source disc so that the radiated acoustic field is composed of a single circumferential mode. When multiple azimuthal modes are present, the acoustic field can be decomposed into azimuthal modes and the method applied to each mode in sequence. The method proceeds in two stages, first finding an intermediate line source derived from the source distribution and then inverting this line source to find the radial variation of source strength. A far-field form of the radiation integrals is derived, showing that the far field pressure is a band-limited Fourier transform of the line source, establishing a limit on the quality of source reconstruction which can be achieved using far-field measurements. The method is applied to simulated data representing wind-tunnel testing of a ducted rotor system (tip Mach number~0.74) and to control of noise from an automotive cooling fan (tip Mach number~0.14), studies which have appeared in the literature of source identification.