Aerodynamic noise in distributed electric propulsion rotor-wing systems investigated using experimental and numerical methods

• Ano de defesa: 2026
• Autor(a) principal: Melo, César Abrahão Pereira
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertacoes da USP; Universidade de São Paulo; Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos
• Palavras-chave em Português: configuração lift + cruise; ensaios em túnel de vento; simulação aeroacústica; eVTOL; ruído de rotores; aeroacoustic simulation; rotor noise; lift + cruise configuration; wind-tunnel testing
• Link de acesso: https://teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/18/18162/tde-07052026-101521/

Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles have recently become a major topic of research, with nearly all major aircraft manufacturers establishing dedicated departments and partnering with startups aiming to make this type of vehicle a reality within the next few years. This emerging sector of the aerospace industry aligns with contemporary trends, ranging from conventional vertical takeoff and landing architectures to innovative configurations that incorporate electric propulsion, alternative energy sources, and autonomous systems. Despite remarkable progress, developing a fully reliable system remains a significant challenge, given the increasing complexity of the proposed solutions and the strict regulatory requirements associated with aviation safety. Achieving safe, efficient, zero-carbon, and low-noise vehicles requires comprehensive analyses that integrate experimental, analytical, and numerical approaches. However, the development process for eVTOLs is costly and time-consuming, whereas the use of medium-fidelity simulation and prediction models has emerged as a faster and reliable alternative for obtaining acoustic estimates. In this context, the careful selection of suitable tools becomes essential. The present research aims to investigate the noise-generation mechanisms and to assess the aeroacoustic prediction capability for Lift + Cruise eVTOL configurations, based on a hybrid framework that integrates open-source, medium-fidelity tools such as OpenCOPTER and PSU-WOPWOP with anechoic wind-tunnel testing. This framework enables the computation of aerodynamic loads and the propagation of the noise generated by the vehicle, providing a representation of the acoustic field under different flight conditions. Finally, the study evaluates the models performance across multiple operating regimes. The adopted model considers a representative Lift + Cruise eVTOL configuration composed of two operating rotors, which allows capturing the main physical mechanisms associated with noise generation and propagation in these vehicles.