newsletterNCPA

...It’s something of an idea factory, if you will. Consider these current efforts:

A portable high-frequency ultrasound device that can be used to stop bleeding;
Water superheated by acoustic fusion as an alternative fuel;
The use of sound waves to modify the behavior of insects.
An all-composite flying wing that utilizes new concepts to suppress sound.

...As disparate as these projects seem, they are all part of the wide-ranging research being
conducted by the National Center for Physical Acoustics at the University of Mississippi campus
in Oxford.
...The common factor is the use of sound waves to find solutions to problems.
...Established in 1989, the Jamie Whitten National Center for Physical Acoustics is a highly
regarded national facility engaged in some $17.8 million in sponsored research. Clients include
federal agencies and private industries, including small businesses.
...With more than 50 fulltime employees and nearly 40 graduate and undergraduate students,
NCPA’s expertise is in acoustics, a branch of physics that involves the study of sound waves and
their interaction with solids, liquids and gases. It has 78,000 square feet of office and lab space,
which includes an anaechoic chamber, Mach 5 jet test facility, card-coded secure labs, a
classified facility, and an in-house machine shop.
...At the heart of what it does is basic research. NCPA has active basic research programs in
atmospheric acoustics, materials science and thermoacoustics. It’s work in atmospheric acoustics
earned it a position in 2002 in the U.S. Army Center of Excellence in Acoustics, with the mission
to carry out basic research in outdoor sound propagation.
...NCPA is also involved in applied research, which involves the development of prototype
systems. The applied programs translate the concepts and ideas from basic research into
solutions to specific problems. As such, it offers ample opportunities for technology transfer and
new businesses.
...One of the biggest pushes is in aeroacoustics research, which is concerned with noise and
vibration from aircraft and missiles. The aim is to reduce the impact of noise in the environment
and to minimize the degradation of aircraft or missiles through vibration and noise. Research into
aeroacoustics is aided by a supersonic nozzle to test designs and a 12” by 12” hypersonic wind
tunnel.
...Lab tests are supplemented by engine test stand tests and full flight tests.
...Future plans include the design of an advanced airframe and engine to guide the design of
future commercial aircraft and airports. This Blended Wing Body, all-composite aircraft with a
26-foot wingspan will be used to test sound-suppression concepts.
...Another push in applied research is in insect acoustics, which seeks to use acoustics to detect
insects and modify their behavior. The primary focus has been towards termites and fire ants,
both of which cause large economic losses in the Southeast.
...Insects use acoustics to communicate and produce sound during their normal activities. Early
research at NCPA led to the use of synthesized sound to cause female crickets to enter a funnel
and water trap, eliminating the pest from golf courses without insecticides.
...The use of acoustics to modify insect behavior offers tantalizing possibilities. Insects that fly at
night, for example, in many cases stop flying and fall to the ground when they are exposed to bat
ultrasound. That could lead to some interesting devices to put up a barrier that would stop flying
insects.
...Within the NCPA are three in-house organizations: The Institute for Humanitarian Demining,
the Army Center of Excellence in Acoustics and the FAA/NASA Center of Excellence in Noise
and Emission Research. – Tcp

July 2007