Vorticity and the theory of aerodynamic sound (Q5955297)

James Lighthill (1963) was the first to recognize the vorticity as a variable of paramount importance for numerical calculation of incompressible flows past a solid surface. He strongly advocated the use of vortex methods in most areas of fluid mechanics, especially in the theory of aerodynamic sound. Here the author first discusses the relation between two forms of Lighthill's acoustic analogy with particular reference to the influence of compact and noncompact solid bodies on sound production. This leads to a consideration of the impulse of the source region, which can be expressed in terms of Kirchhoff vector of the solid, and to the useful concept of `compact Green's function'. New illustrations of the methods of vortex sound theory are given by considering the unsteady development of lift by a starting airfoil, the production of sound by a `vortex whistle', and of the infrasound generated by a high-speed train entering a tunnel.