The areas of activity include the use of reciprocal and direct techniques for the measurement of sound transmission through structures, vibro-acoustic modelling of structures, and active noise control using piezoelectric actuators. Activities in active noise control are focused on noise reduction in aircraft. Experiments are underway on a full scale aircraft fuselage to verify computer models developed for predicting both open and closed loop sound pressure levels in an aircraft cabin. The use of piezoelectric actuators allow for a reduction in both acoustic noise and structural vibration . Research and development work with Canadian industry has been on-going for a number of years in the area of noise transmission and control for turboprop aircraft with such collaborators as de Havilland .
Plans are underway for a flight test verification.
A project now underway involves control of the tail vibration of the CF-18 airframe to increase performance and life. These photos can be viewed with Acrobat Reader. The facility is unique in Canada for testing full-size aerospace components at high levels of sound pressure. The larger chamber supplies sound pressure levels greater than 155 dB with accurate acoustic spectrum shaping between 30 Hz and 10,000 Hz. The smaller chamber can generate sound pressure levels greater than 160 dB and has been used to test satellites and representative sections of aircraft fuselages.