High-Order Numerical Simulation of Rocket Launch Noise

The aerodynamic noise propagation from a rocket engine before lift-off has been simulated by solving the axisymmetric Euler equations with a high order difference method. The sound source at the launch table is modelled by a time harmonic velocity perturbation at the dominant frequencies of the Ariane V launch vehicle. Perturbations corresponding to 120 dB sound pressure level lead to a sound pressure level of 112 dB at the nose of the rocket.The numerical method that has been used corresponds to the standard sixth order central difference operator in the interior of the computational domain. Near the boundaries the method is third order accurate and satisfies the Summation by Parts property. This guarantees strict stability for linear problems. The classical explicit fourth order Runge-Kutta method has been used for time integration.