Numerical reconstruction of acoustic parameters of ancient bone pipes using the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings model

The article presents a method for simulating sound propagation in simple wind instruments, such as ancient bone pipes, demonstrated through a case study of an ancient bone pipe replica. The proposed and verified research approach enables the estimation of sound pressure level in the frequency domain, specifically developed for the study of archaeological models dating back to the Chalcolithic and the Bronze Age. Since original archaeological artifacts are preserved museum objects and cannot be subjected to invasive experimental testing, the methodology was tested using a physical replica under a representative operating condition. The research combines experimental measurements of sound pressure level of the bone aerophone replicas, with numerical Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings (FW-H) acoustic model. This numerical approach facilitates the visualization of the velocity and pressure fields during sound production, allowing for the identification of primary airflow patterns and jet–edge interactions. The results demonstrate reasonable agreement between simulated and measured acoustic spectral trends, capturing the primary spectral peaks within acceptable engineering tolerances for highly irregular geometries. Consequently, the proposed simulation method provides a robust framework for evaluating the acoustic properties of archaeological aerophone exhibits.