The flow near the surface, and the acoustic emissions of trailing edge serrations are investigated in this work. The use of this family of aerodynamic devices on airfoils is intended for the reduction of turbulent boundary layer-trailing edge noise (TBL-TE noise). This purpose has been well demonstrated in wind tunnel and numerical experiments. Particularly, their use in the wind turbine industry has been of great interest in recent years. A growing number of field measurements have shown that a noticeable noise reduction of TBL-TE noise in state-of-the-art blades is also obtained. A full explanation on the mechanism of how noise is reduced is nevertheless lacking. Existing experimental research on serrations offers only a limited characterization of the relevant flow parameters. Fundamental concerns pertaining to the conditions at which that data has been previously gathered are furthermore recurrent. The persistent use of flow-misaligned serrations creates a situation in which flow structures may be observed and misinterpreted as necessary for the attainment of noise reduction. This circumstance complicates the discussion and isolation of the relevant noise reduction mechanism...@en

Trailing edge serrations have been proven to work as a passive noise reduction device. Nevertheless, they have also previously been found to increase noise in a particular frequency range, argued in earlier research to be due to the misalignment of the serrations with the direction of the flow in the wake. It emerges as a high-frequency noise increase in a broadband region of the spectrum. This study investigates the effect of serration-flow misalignment on the noise emissions using acoustic beamforming, and finds a correlation with observations made on the flow using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The hydrodynamic source of the noise increase is hereby identified, and a Strouhal number relation for the high-frequency noise increase is proposed@en

The trailing edge of a NACA 0018 airfoil is modified through the attachment of serrations with different degrees of permeability. Acoustic beamforming is used to inspect the turbulent boundary layer-trailing edge noise emissions from the unmodified and serrated trailing edges. Different freestream velocities and angles of attack are investigated. The serration permeability is prescribed by having slits cut into the solid surface of the serrations in two different configurations. The results indicate that a certain benefit in noise reduction is obtained from a mixed solid/slitted configuration, while a fully slitted configuration loses most of the noise reduction performance.@en

The flow past a NACA 0018 airfoil with sawtooth trailing edge serrations has been investigated using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The serration flap angle and airfoil incidence are varied in order to study the effect of secondary flow establishing between the suction and pressure sides of the serrations. The flow topology around the serrations is inferred from the analysis of time-averaged streamlines close to the airfoil surface and from the wall-normal flow velocity in between serrations. Additional PIV measurements with a plane in cross-flow highlight the formation of streamwise vortex pairs. The flow behavior is further characterized in terms of its turbulence statistics. Noise emissions are measured with an acoustic phased array in combination with beamforming. The serrations are found to be effective in reducing noise, and their application is studied for different degrees of airfoil incidence and serration flap angle.@en

The broadband noise generated by the scattering of turbulent flow at the trailing edge of a NACA 0018 airfoil with trailing edge serrations is investigated, varying both the airfoil angle of attack and serration flap angle. Acoustic emissions from the trailing edge are measured using a microphone array. The noise level is observed to be higher than that of the airfoil without serrations at frequencies beyond a crossover value. The latter is found to scale with a characteristic Strouhal number based upon the boundary layer thickness and the freestream velocity. A satisfactory collapse of the results under varying angles of attack and freestream velocities is observed. The modifications of the hydrodynamic behavior and the noise increase are linked by high-speed observations conducted with particle image velocimetry. An increase in the energy of turbulent fluctuations is also observed at the expected crossover frequency. The dominant cause of the increased noise is thereby identified at the pressure side edge of the serrations at a given flap angle.@en

Trailing edge serrations designed to reduce airfoil self-noise are retrofitted on a NACA 0018 airfoil. An investigation of the boundary layer flow statistical properties is performed using time-resolved stereoscopic PIV. Three streamwise locations over the edge of the serrations are compared. An analysis of the results indicates that, while there is no upstream effect, the flow experiences significant changes as it convects over the serrations and toward its edges. Among the most important, a reduced shear stress and modifications of the turbulence spectra suggest beneficial changes in the unsteady surface pressure that would result in a reduction of trailing edge noise. Microphone array measurements are additionally performed to confirm that noise reduction is indeed observed by the application of the chosen serration design over the unmodified airfoil. @en