Project Supervisors: Prof Mahdi Azarpeyvand, Dr Esmaeel Masoudi and Dr Sen Wang
Industry Partner: ESDU – ACCURIS
Project Outline:
As urban air mobility continues to develop, electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), drones, and air taxis are expected to transform the way people and goods move within and between cities. These emerging technologies promise cleaner, more efficient transport, but their success depends on achieving low noise levels that make them acceptable to the public and compatible with urban environments. Reducing noise is therefore a key challenge for creating sustainable and widely adopted air-mobility systems.
This PhD project investigates the mechanisms behind broadband noise generation in propellers and rotorcraft systems. In collaboration with ESDU, an international leader in providing validated aerospace engineering design data, methods and software, and world-class academics at the University of Bristol, you will use the state-of-the-art National Aeroacoustic wind tunnel facility to study the steady or unsteady aerodynamics responsible for broadband noise generation. By combining advanced experiments with numerical simulations, the project aims to develop predictive models and practical strategies for reducing noise in next-generation aircraft propulsion systems.
Further project information:
Broadband noise generated by propellers and rotorcraft remains a major challenge for urban air mobility and next-generation aircraft. Unlike tonal noise, which is concentrated at specific frequencies, broadband noise spans a wide range of frequencies and arises from complex interactions between turbulent flows, blade loading, and wake dynamics. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for designing quieter, more efficient, and publicly acceptable aircraft.
In this PhD, you will investigate the aerodynamic processes that produce broadband noise in propellers and rotor systems. The research will combine wind tunnel experiments at the National Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Facility at the University of Bristol with numerical simulations to capture the steady or unsteady flow features responsible for noise generation. The experimental work will include measurements of flow and acoustic fields around rotating blades, while the simulations will provide detailed insight into the underlying aerodynamic mechanisms.
You will also explore ways to integrate experimental data and simulation results into predictive models, helping to identify design strategies for noise reduction. This may involve surrogate modelling, reduced-order modelling, or data-driven approaches.
The project is conducted in collaboration with ESDU, a leader in providing validated aerospace engineering design data, methods and software, providing direct access to industrial expertise and real-world design challenges. You will gain experience in state-of-the-art experimental and computational methods, contribute to the development of low-noise rotorcraft technologies, and play a part in shaping the future of urban air mobility and eVTOL systems.
Subject Areas: Fluid Dynamics, Aeroacoustics, Turbulence, Experimental Methods
Required qualifications/skills:
- A minimum of a 2:1 undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or a related discipline.
- Strong background in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, or acoustics.
- Experience with experimental testing, flow measurement, or computational modelling is desirable
