Abstract
Finite element models are presented for the calculation of near and far field acoustical radiation. These models are applied to the specific problem of fan noise radiation from axisymmetric turbofan inlets. In all cases conventional acoustic finite elements are used within an inner region close to the inlet. The far field is represented by infinite elements or wave envelope elements. Theory and results are presented for the case with zero mean flow. Comparisons of computed data with analytic solutions and measured values establish the utility of both the infinite element and wave envelope element schemes in determining the near field values of acoustical pressure. The wave envelope scheme is shown to be effective also in the far field. Both schemes use meshes an order of magnitude more sparse that would be required in conventional numerical discretizations, and may consequently be applied at modest computational cost.