Developing certification procedures for quiet supersonic aircraft using shaped sonic boom predictions through atmospheric turbulence

New sonic boom noise certification procedures for quiet supersonic aircraft are in development under the International Civil Aviation Organization for a proposed standard that could enable supersonic overland flight. Although these low-boom aircraft do not exist yet, the procedures can be developed and evaluated using existing empirical and simulation datasets. While prior analyses used N-wave datasets to exercise various proposed procedures, these evaluations were limited because the effects of atmospheric turbulence on N-waves do not necessarily generalize to shaped sonic booms. The analysis is therefore extended to include shaped sonic boom predictions through several atmospheric turbulence conditions, such as different atmospheric boundary layer heights, using three different numerical methods. Six noise metrics (PL, ASEL, BSEL, DSEL, ESEL, and ISBAP) are calculated for the ground waveform predictions and compared to metrics for predictions performed under quiescent standard day conditions. Methods for validating prediction tools or correcting for the atmospheric effects are discussed, and ideas for robust methods for implementation in certification procedures are proposed.