Measurement Of Turbulent Boundary Layer Induced Surface Pressure Fluctuations

The turbulent boundary layer (TBL) noise generated inside an aircraft can have a detrimental impact on humans. In an effort to better understand TBL physics and measurement techniques, measurements of the fluctuating wall-pressure beneath a TBL have been performed in an anechoic wind tunnel. The measurements were made using an array of pressure microphones provided by Bombardier Aerospace. Analysis of frequency spectra indicated several shortcomings of the array, namely a low saturation limit and electrical issues, however the low speed spectra agree well with the Goody prediction model. Furthermore, an investigation of the relationship between wall-pressure and velocity fluctuations was performed using a pinhole mounted microphone and simultaneous hot-wire boundary layer measurements. This revealed flow interference from the hot-wire apparatus, obscuring the expected relationships and trends. Several areas of improvement have been identified, including higher saturation limit microphones, LDA for velocity measurements, and increasing rigidity of the experimental setup.