Aeroacoustics of contoured plug-nozzle supersonic jet flows

Experimental investigations of the acoustic far-field, the shock associated noise, and the characteristics of the repetitive shock structure of supersonic jet flows issuing from a plug-nozzle having an externally expanded contoured plug with a pointed termination, operated at a range of supercritical pressure ratios of 2.0 to 4.5 are reported. The supersonic jet flow from the contoured plug is shown to be shock-free and virtually wakeless at a pressure ratio of 3.60 (flow Mach number, 1.49). By comparison with the noise characteristics of underexpanded jet flows from an equivalent convergent nozzle, substantial reductions in the total (mixing and the shock associated) noise levels are obtained when the contoured plug nozzle is operated either in the fully-expanded (shock-free) mode or in the over- and the underexpanded modes.