Noise source identification using microphone arrays

1. Applications include engine test beds, wind tunnel tests on airframe components and measurements on aircraft in flight, where the method has the significant advantage that it provides a means of source identification for the aircraft operating under representative aerodynamic conditions. Although commercial microphone array systems are available for other applications 2 , their use to date has been rather limited for typical engineering noise control problems, probably because there are cheaper and less involved measurement techniques available. This paper examines some of the advantages and disadvantages that could flow from the application of microphone arrays to the industrial noise problem.