Numerical study of flow-induced noise response of lightweight composite sandwich sail based on the boundary element method

• Published in: Engineering analysis with boundary elements 2025-02, Vol.171, Article 106059
• Main Authors: Yin, Peng, Liu, Xu-Chang, Yang, Jin-Shui, Xu, Yao-Yao, Li, Shuang, Lu, Xiao-Bin, Wu, Lin-Zhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boundary element method; Composite sandwich structure; Damping; Flow-induced noise; Sail
• ISSN: 0955-7997
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enganabound.2024.106059

The submarine's sail, as the largest appendage structure, is more susceptible to turbulence induced vibrations during medium to high-speed navigation, making it a critical area for the generation of flow-induced noise, significantly impacting the stealth and safety of submarine. Considering the excellent mechanical properties and high damping characteristics of lightweight composite sandwich structures, by combining large eddy simulation with vibro-acoustic coupling methods based on boundary element method, under the premise of verifying the accuracy of the numerical methods, a series of three-dimensional dynamic numerical models are established to investigate the flow-induced noise response of the novel composite sandwich sail. The results indicate that the overall sound power level of composite sandwich sail is reduced by approximately 8.9 dB compared to steel structure. The maximum sound power level of composite sandwich sail is lower than the steel with equal areal density. The sound pressure of the sail with buoyant material is lower than that of foam and PVC with the same damping. This work can provide theoretical support for the design methods of new lightweight, multifunctional sail structures.