An Experimental Investigation of Flow-Induced Cavity Resonance
Abstract Excitation of cavity resonance by flow over an aperture is often a source of unwanted noise in aerospace, automotive, and marine applications. An experimental investigation of this phenomenon was conducted. Detailed measurements of the cavity pressure and the velocity field in the opening were performed in a quiet flow facility. Spectral data on cavity pressure fluctuations obtained for a variety of configurations were analyzed over a range of speeds to determine the behavior of both sheartones and cavity tones during non-resonant and resonant conditions. The mean and fluctuating velocity profiles as well as the cross-spectral properties between the velocity components and cavity pressure were also obtained within the cavity opening. Phase between the velocity components and the pressure was used to calculate the streamwise convection velocities across the opening. A novel technique used to measure vorticity allowed calculation of the measured energy production in the opening. The data support the finding that the resonant and non-resonant conditions are distinguished by the behavior of the convection velocity and by the distribution of energy production in the flow field.