With over 20 years of testing experience in acoustic research and development, the AAPL, located at NASA’s Glenn Research Center, is a world-class facility providing outstanding testing services in aircraft propulsion acoustic noise reduction and performance research.
Unique in testing capabilities and size, the AAPL dome is 65 ft high by 130 ft in diameter, providing an anechoic testing environment for engine component research and development. To provide a reflection free acoustic environment, 17,000 custom-designed 2‑ft thick fiberglass wedges are mounted on the dome’s interior walls and floor areas adjacent to the test rigs. The acoustically treated dome walls are designed specifically to attenuate sound. Together, these elements provide an acoustic testing environment that exceeds the acoustic research testing objectives set forth by NASA and industry.
AAPL houses three state-of-the-art acoustic test rigs, the Nozzle Acoustic Test Rig (NATR), Small Hot Jet Acoustic Rig (SHJAR), and the DGEN Aero-Propulsion Research Turbofan (DART).
