Wall pressure fluctuation spectra due to boundary-layer transition

Boundary-layer transition has been expected to be an important contributor to sensor flow-induced self-noise. The pressure fluctuations caused by this spatially bounded, and intermittent, phenomenon encompass a very wide range of wavenumbers and temporal frequencies. Here, we analyze the wavevector–frequency spectrum of the wall pressure fluctuations due to subsonic boundary-layer transition as it occurs on a flat plate under zero-pressure gradient conditions. Based on previous measurements of the statistics of the boundary-layer intermittency, it is found that transition induces higher low-streamwise wavenumber wall pressure levels than does a fully developed turbulent boundary layer that might superficially exist at the same location and at the same Reynolds number. The transition zone spanwise wavenumber pressure components are virtually unchanged from the fully developed turbulent boundary-layer case. The results suggest that transition may be more effective than the fully developed turbulent boundary layer in forcing structural excitation at low Mach numbers, and it may have a more intense radiated noise contribution. This may help explain increases in measured sensor self-noise when the sensors are placed near the transition zone. We believe, based on the presented analytical calculation and numerical simulation, that the rapid growth and subsequent decay of turbulent spots in the intermittent transition zone causes the higher low-(streamwise) wavenumber spectra.