On jet instability modes of a subsonic Hartmann whistle

Numerical experiments to understand the resonant acoustic response of a subsonic jet impinging on the mouth of a tube, known as the Hartmann whistle configuration, were performed as large-eddy simulations. The tube length was chosen so that its fundamental duct mode, for one end closed and one end open, would match the dominant mode in the exciting jet. When the tube mouth was placed in the path of a regular stream of vortex rings, formed by the instability of the jet’s bounding shear layer, a strong resonant, tonal response (whistling) was obtained. At three diameters from the jet, OASPL was 150–160 dB. A tube with a thicker lip generated a louder response. When the tube was held closer to the nozzle exit, the impinging unsteady shear layer could not provoke any significant resonance. The simulations reveal that the tonal response of a Hartmann whistle operating in subsonic mode is significant.