This research investigates the effect of pressure gradient on wall-pressure fluctuations in turbulent boundary layers using a delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) turbulence scheme. The results are compared to Goody's and Efimtsov's empirical single-point wall-pressure spectrum models. Three different types of pressure gradient conditions were investigated numerically: zero pressure gradient (Flat Plate as a baseline model), favorable pressure gradient (Convex 10, 20, and 40 Plates), and adverse pressure gradient (Concave 10, 20, and 40 Plates). The numerical results were subsequently compared with each other. For the zero pressure gradient case, results compared well with empirical solutions. It was observed that, for cases with adverse pressure gradients, the pressure fluctuations were more chaotic than for the favorable pressure gradient models. In contrast, the favorable pressure gradient models induced lower frequency noise relative to adverse pressure gradient models.

This experimental study was carried out at a free-stream Mach number of 0.6 and a Reynolds number per foot of 3.45 x 106. The magnitudes of the wall-pressure fluctuations agree with the Lilley-Hodgson theoretical results. Space-time correlations of the wall-pressure fluctuations generally agree with Willmarth's results for longitudinal separation distances. The convection velocity of the fluctuations is found to increase with increasing separation distances, and its significance is explained. Measurements with the longitudinal component of the velocity fluctuations indicate that the contributions to the wall-pressure fluctuations are from two regions, an inner region near the wall and an outer region linked with the intermittency.