Sicheng Kevin Li "Towards Efficient and Quiet Advanced Air Mobility"

4:00 pm
Monday, January 29, 2024
190 Goodwin Hall
Faculty Host:  Dr. Rakesh  Kapania

Abstract: Rotorcraft noise has emerged as a critical concern for Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, especially with the rapid advancements in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies. However, the current noise assessment tools of VTOL noise rely heavily on empirical models and expensive computations. Dr. Sicheng Kevin Li will present his research aimed at advancing our understanding of rotorcraft noise and mitigating its impact. Rotor noise is categorized into tonal noise and broadband noise. While tonal noise is associated with blade rotation, broadband noise is induced by the pressure fluctuations carried in the turbulence. To study tonal noise, Dr. Li developed a rotor control/inflow toolchain to couple with the FW-H equation to predict the blade loading and thickness noise on a quiet helicopter. Regarding broadband noise, he developed UCD-QuietFly to predict noise generated by the turbulent/laminar boundary layer flow near the rotor blade trailing edge. Recently, he developed an analytic method to simulate blade-wake interaction events. This method encompasses rotor trim, dynamic inflow, wake modeling, tip vortex turbulence, and leading-edge noise scattering. VTOL noise has significant impacts on human hearing and detectability. He also used psychoacoustic metrics to optimize rotor designs and investigated bio-inspired designs to weaken acoustic scattering.

Bio: Sicheng Kevin Li is an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Hartford. He earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of California, Davis, in 2022, following the completion of his M.S. and B.S. degrees at the same institution. Specializing in rotorcraft aeromechanics, Dr. Li is widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on the UCD-QuietFly model - a physics-based method that stands as the first of its kind for simulating broadband noise on multi-rotor aircraft. His research outcomes have been adopted by over ten leading players in the eVTOL/UAM industry and academia. Dr. Li received the Acoustics Best Paper Award of the Vertical Flight Society Forum and serves on the VFS Acoustics Technical Committee. He was awarded the Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarship. Currently, his research activities include rotor wake modeling, blade vortex/wake interaction, bio-inspired airfoil serration, drone noise measurement, and rotor comprehensive analysis.