An Open-Source Framework For Modeling Aircraft Noise In Urban Environments

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2023-3365.vid

Limited extensibility and difficulty accessing federally developed tools for estimating noise pollution from urban air mobility operations have resulted in isolated efforts toward understanding the implications of aerial intra-city commuting. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing an urban environment noise assessment framework. It takes the approach of directly computing the noise at spatiotemporal points throughout an aircraft's trajectory rather than using correlative models which are based on a finite set of flight conditions. This ultimately allows for more accurate predictions of aircraft noise emissions. Three case studies are carried out to demonstrate the framework's capabilities and its potential to be used for establishing compatibility metrics that will guide future expansions of novel mobility trends within the aviation sector. The first study examined fly-over noise, the second explored vertiport arrival and departure flight path angles, and the third examined noise emissions within the Los Angeles Metropolitan area. Results highlight that the acoustic footprint on communities below strongly depends on vehicle configuration and frequency of commuter service.