Noise reduction from turbulent supersonic jets remains a challenging problem. Many modern technologies involve nozzle modifications that attempt to disrupt radiation structures within the jet. However, the potential impact to thrust prevents these methods from being used extensively. An alternative is to reduce noise with a temporary barrier. This presentation explores the potential of a curtain of bubbly water as a noise barrier. Using equivalent media theory, reflection and transmission coefficients are derived. These coefficients are combined with barrier equations to determine the insertion loss of a given bubbly curtain. The placement and composition of a bubbly curtain are then optimized to address noise radiation from the T-7A. Work sponsored by ONR.
Olaveson et al. (Wed,) studied this question.