Altitude and airspeed effects on the optimum synchrophase angles for a four-engine propeller aircraft

Noise and vibration is a serious problem in all types of aircraft. Any techniques that lower cabin noise and vibration levels by even a few decibels with little or no weight or performance penalties are worth pursuing. Propeller synchrophasing is one such technique that has shown potential in aircraft with two or more propellers; however this technique is not being used to its full potential because the synchrophase angles are typically fixed. This paper provides a detailed examination of how the optimum synchrophase angles in a typical four-engine propeller aircraft vary with different altitudes and airspeeds, and how this information could lead to the design of new adaptive propeller synchrophasing systems and potentially yield improvements to other active noise control measures in propeller aircraft.