Case Study: Airbus reduces aircraft noise with Hexagon’s Actran simulation

Simulation helps Airbus optimise acoustic liners and aircraft noise

Airbus faced significant challenges in reducing aircraft noise, particularly from engine fan noise, due to increasing airport restrictions and community impact. The design of the acoustic liners used to dampen this noise was a complex, costly, and time-consuming process that relied heavily on physical prototype testing. To address this, Airbus turned to vendor Hexagon and the use of its Actran acoustic simulation software to move towards a simulation-based design process.

Hexagon's solution involved implementing Actran to create accurate simulations of noise radiation, which allowed engineers to optimize liner designs digitally. This shift drastically reduced the time and cost associated with physical testing and post-design changes. The results were substantial; Airbus developed an automated simulation chain that evaluated thousands of cases efficiently, leading to the delivery of best-in-class, lighter acoustic solutions. This has had a huge financial impact for airlines and has made the software Airbus's standard platform for nacelle design.

Airbus

Jean-Yves Suratteau

Head of Numerical Methods, Acoustics & Environment Dept