ZAL_YB-2017

»THE MOST UNPLEASANT NOISE OCCURS IN THE TAKE-OFF PHASE, IMPACTING THE GENERAL
COMFORT OF PASSENGERS. ESSENTIALLY, IT IS PRECISELY THIS CABIN NOISE THAT WE ARE
SIMULATING AND INVESTIGATING IN OUR ACOUSTICS AND VIBRATION TESTS, WITH THE AIM
OF ACHIEVING MORE ACOUSTIC CABIN COMFORT IN THE FUTURE. THIS INCLUDES INSULAT-
ING AGAINST BACKGROUND NOISE AS WELL AS QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENT TO CABIN AUDIO
SYSTEMS.« DR. KAY KOCHAN
— On 1 March 2015, Dr. Kay Kochan entered the
Acoustics Lab for the very first time – in Wellington
boots and with a safety helmet on his head. The
first concrete walls for the research facility had
just been erected. Since the completion of ZAL,
Kay Kochan has been working together with his
colleagues, Benjamin Becker and Matthias Weber,
on optimizing cabin acoustics and conducting
acoustic tests. What makes acoustics research
at ZAL so special is the so-called Acoustic Flight-
LAB Demonstrator, a generic aircraft rump
fuselage with the dimensions of an A320. This,
together with an array of loudspeakers for noise
generation, serves as a test stand that enables
researchers to conduct acoustics and vibration
tests on the ground. This is a revolutionary opportunity
to replace the laborious and very expensive
airborne flight tests. The ingenious construction
of the Acoustics Lab, with its acoustic free field,
the demonstrator, and its vibration-free mounting
on stilts, combined with the flexible sound system
to generate noise in the fuselage, facilitates laboratory
tests in conditions that are almost identical
to reality.
DR. KAY KOCHAN
Acoustics expert, ZAL GmbH
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY