A PREDICTION MODEL FOR THE VORTEX SHEDDING NOISE FROM THE WAKE OF AN AIRFOIL OR AXIAL-FLOW FAN BLADES

An analytical model is presented for predicting the vortex shedding noise generated from the wake of axial flow fan blades. The downstream wake of a fan blade is assumed to be dominated by the von Karman vortex street, and the strength and the shedding frequency of the wake vortex are determined from the wake structure model. The fluctuating pressure and lift on the blade surface, which are induced from the vortices in the wake, are analyzed by incorporating the wake model for the von Kármán vortex street with thin airfoil theory. The predicted vortex shedding frequency and the overall sound pressure level compare favorably with the measured results for the vortex shedding noise from axial flow fans. © 1993 Academic press Limited.