The mixer has 10 lobes, 5 shallow and 5 deep, alternating around its circumference to allow deep penetration of the high-velocity jet exhaust, effectively mixing the hot exhaust with ambient air to lower the temperature and velocity without thrust loss. Engine operating characteristics are also unaffected by the installation of the mixer.
The alternating lobes set up separate axial vorticity patterns that interact with each other to enhance mixing. By breaking up the jet core into 10 smaller cores, the mixer effectively shifts the noise from existing low frequency jet noise to a higher frequency that can be more easily absorbed. The uniqueness of the mixer is its ability to effectively mix (reduce the velocity) the jet core without degrading the engine’s thrust output (its performance).
The rapid mixing effect generated by the Hushkit is illustrated in the picture above. This provides an exhaust velocity cross-section comparing the three different exhaust systems. Both the velocities and length of the map are non-dimensional for comparison. The highest velocities (noise being a function of velocity) are represented by the color red, with the lowest by the color blue. The jet core refers to the highest velocity center of the jet exhaust, which in the illustration is indicated by the color red.
