Noise radiation from engine cooling fans

The semi-empirical formulation previously derived by the authors (Journal of Sound and Vibration 200, 379-399) for predicting noise spectra of axial flow fans running in a free field is extended to engine cooling fans installed in full-size vehicles. Because of the presence of shroud, upstream radiator/condenser, and downstream engine block, the ingested and discharged flow fields around the fan blades are completely different from those in a free field. Accordingly, the noise generation mechanisms become much more difficult to analyze and model. The shroud may significantly increase the unsteady fluctuating forces exerted on the fan blades, thus greatly enhancing the levels of the discrete sounds centered at the blade passage frequency and its harmonics. The upstream radiator/condenser set may induce a significant amount of intake turbulence, thus raising the levels of the broadband sounds. The downstream engine block may force the airflow to recirculate to the front and more importantly, raise the static pressure drop across the fan assembly, which has a direct impact on the resulting flow rate. Obviously, an exact description of the effects of these factors on the resulting noise spectra is not possible. In this paper it is shown that these factors can be approximated by using certain shape functions. The computer model thus developed is used to predict the noise spectra from different fan assemblies under various working conditions, and the results thus obtained are compared with the measured data. Also, this model is used to calculate the overall sound pressure levels from dimensionally similar fans running under different working conditions, and the results are compared with those predicted by the fan laws currently in use by engineers in the automotive industry. (C) 1998 Academic Press.