Wall Pressure Fluctuations and Acoustics in Turbulent Pipe Flow

Measurements of the turbulent boundary layer (TBL) wall pressure spectrum and the facility's propagating acoustic field were conducted in the Boundary Layer Research Facility. Subminiature, piezoresistive-type pressure transducers were used. Detailed calibration of the pressure transducers was performed using a standing wave tube. Measured sensitivities of the transducers were within 0.5 dB of factory specifications and measured phase differences between individual transducers were insignificant. The TBL wall pressure spectrum was obtained using a novel signal-processing technique that allowed a minimization of both acoustic and vibration-induced noise. This technique uses pairs of transducer difference signals from an exisymmetric array of three flush-mounted pressure sensors and permits cancellation of the propagating acoustic and vibrationally induced pressure fields. A measurement involving the coherence function between these transducer signals was shown to validate the measured TBL wall pressure spectra and all assumptions used in developing the measurement technique. Non-dimensionalized spectra of the TBL fluctuating wall pressure measured in this investigation are compared to those measured previously. These comparisons substantiated a maximum, normalized transducer diameter for the complete resolution of the high-frequency part of the TBL wall pressure spectrum. In this study, using glycerine as the working fluid, the transducer diameter is less than wall units, a factor of smaller than ever before achieved.