About

William Devenport is an Alumni Distinguished Professor and Crofton Professor in Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he serves as the Director of the VT Stability Wind Tunnel and the Center for Research and Engineering in Aero/Hydrodynamic Technologies (CREATe). His research expertise lies in Experimental Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics, with a focus on aeroacoustics of low Mach number flows and experimental aerodynamics. He has contributed significantly to the understanding of wind tunnel boundary simulation, non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layers, and aeroacoustic phenomena. Devenport earned his Ph.D. in 1985 in Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamics from Cambridge University, Great Britain, and his B.Sc. in Engineering Science from Exeter University, Great Britain. Throughout his career, he has held various academic and leadership positions at Virginia Tech, including Assistant Department Head for Facilities and Associate Professor. He is actively involved in professional service, including roles in the AIAA Aeroacoustics Technical Committee and NATO working groups. His teaching includes courses on aerodynamics, aero/hydrodynamics, and aero/hydroacoustics, emphasizing meaningful engagement and experimental learning. His numerous awards include the 2019 AIAA Aeroacoustics Award and recognition for contributions to health, safety, and education.

Research topics

• Physics
• Mechanics
• Engineering
• Computer Science
• Mechanical engineering
• Aerospace engineering
• Geology
• Mathematics
• Marine engineering
• Simulation
• Classical mechanics
• Systems engineering
• Structural engineering
• Algorithm
• Geometry
• Optics
• Mathematical analysis

Selected publications

• Enhancing metamaterial performance for acoustic sensing in flow

  International Journal of Aeroacoustics · 2026-01-29

  articleSenior author

  Turbulent pressure fluctuations can compromise the accuracy of far-field acoustic measurements when microphone arrays are flush-mounted on surfaces exposed to fluid flow. To address this, recent advances in acoustic metamaterials have introduced novel approaches to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of these measurements. In this paper, new techniques for coupling the sound and flow field to a meander metasurface are discovered through computational acoustics modeling and examined through wind tunnel testing in Virginia Tech’s Subsonic Modular Anechoic Research Tunnel (SMART). The results provide insight into the optimal shape for allowing sound waves into a metamaterial while attenuating turbulent boundary layer noise.

  PublisherDOI

• Boundary Layer Turbulence and Wall Pressure Fluctuations in the Wake of a Wall-Mounted Fence

  2026-01-08 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author

  The turbulent boundary layer behind a two-dimensional wall-mounted fence is investigated using experiments and large-eddy simulation. The fence has a square cross-section and a height of 9.5 mm, corresponding to 16.6 % of the unperturbed boundary-layer thickness. Results are compared with those from a flat-plate boundary layer under the same configuration. The experimental and simulation results exhibit reasonably good agreement in both mean boundary-layer characteristics and wall-pressure fluctuations. It is demonstrated that the presence of the fence induces a highly non-equilibrium turbulent boundary layer, leading to a thickened boundary layer and enhanced pressure fluctuations. The fence amplifies the wall-pressure spectral level by at least 10 dB at low frequencies, and significantly broadens and strengthens its wavenumber-frequency spectra. Moreover, the relationship between flow separation and the downstream recovery of pressure fluctuations is observed to be similar to that in step flows.

  PublisherDOI

• Stewart A L Glegg: Aeroacoustician, educator, and research leader

  International Journal of Aeroacoustics · 2026-02-05

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This special issue of the Journal of Aeroacoustics is presented in honor of Prof. Stewart Glegg, and his many professional accomplishments. The enthusiasm of the many contributors to this volume, representing just a small subset of those who have benefitted from his work and collaboration, is just one indication of Stewart’s phenomenal impact. This article is an attempt to summarize Stewart’s personal and professional biography to date. His contributions to the aeroacoustics community include insightful technical advances in a surprisingly broad set of areas, extensive service particularly through his university and AIAA, and the inspiration, mentoring and advancement of many students and colleagues.

  PublisherDOI

• Identification of Sources of Wall Pressure Fluctuations Using Space–Time Pressure–Velocity Correlations

  AIAA Journal · 2026-03-12

  article

  The origin and characteristics of large-scale pressure fluctuations have been attributed to the large-scale coherent motions in turbulent boundary layers, often termed “superstructures.” Existing studies lack a few key aspects, including limitations to lower Reynolds numbers, significant spatiotemporal aliasing, and limited measurement domains. This study uses synchronous wall-parallel stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) and wall-pressure measurements to quantify the characteristics of large-scale flow structures and their relationship with wall pressure fluctuations in a smooth-wall turbulent boundary-layer flow. These measurements are acquired at a friction Reynolds number [Formula: see text] in the upper part of the logarithmic layer ([Formula: see text]) under the influence of a small pressure gradient ([Formula: see text]). Space–time correlations reveal the presence of a correlation between wall pressure and velocity fluctuations. The wavenumber–frequency cross-spectra between wall pressure and velocity components are presented, showing the direct contribution of the streamwise and wall-normal velocity components in generating wall-pressure fluctuations, while the spanwise velocity component is considered insignificant.

  PublisherDOI

• Three-Dimensional Effects of the Flow Over the BeVERLI Hill

  2026-01-08

  article

  Three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers are commonly generated in engineering flows exposed to surface curvature and spatially varying pressure gradients, yet their detailed structure and dynamics remain insufficiently understood. In this study, a canonical three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer developing over a complex hill geometry is examined using high-resolution Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) measurements and complementary steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations. Measurements were acquired at four streamwise stations in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel at a hill-height-based Reynolds number of 250{,}000. The results reveal that while the near-wall region remains approximately collateral up to 60 wall-normal units, strong three-dimensional effects emerge farther from the wall in regions influenced by pressure gradients and curvature. These effects manifest as pronounced flow skewness, the formation of distinct inner and outer layers, and elevated turbulence anisotropy. Stations exposed to mild pressure gradients exhibit comparatively thinner and more two-dimensional boundary layers, whereas strong adverse pressure gradients promote outer-layer thickening and flow separation. The CFD simulations successfully reproduce the primary qualitative trends in mean flow, although quantitative deviations persist near separation. These findings demonstrate the significant sensitivity of turbulent boundary layer structure to three-dimensional pressure-gradient and surface curvature. The combined experimental and computational dataset provides a valuable reference for evaluating turbulence models in complex non-equilibrium flows and offers insight relevant to aerodynamic design applications involving separation-prone geometries.

  PublisherDOI

• Wavenumber-frequency cross-spectra of correlated wall pressure and velocity components in varying external pressure gradients

  International Journal of Aeroacoustics · 2026-01-29

  articleSenior author

  Synchronous wall-pressure and velocity measurements were acquired within a fully developed turbulent boundary layers over a smooth rigid surface under the effects of three mean pressure gradients. This allowed the development of a wavenumber-frequency cross-spectrum between the correlated pressure and velocity fluctuations. Measurement acquired for a friction Reynolds number of 3200–3300, and at a boundary layer parameter <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="bold-italic">β</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> between −0.81 and +0.68 at a wall-parallel plane located at a <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mi mathvariant="bold-italic">x</mml:mi> <mml:mn mathvariant="bold">2</mml:mn> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> </mml:msubsup> <mml:mo>≈</mml:mo> <mml:mn mathvariant="bold">250</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> . Results show that both the streamwise and wall-normal velocity components are of equal relative importance when correlated with wall-pressure fluctuations. The wavenumber-frequency spectra of the pressure-velocity cross-terms collapse on one another for the three pressure gradient cases; however, the sub-convective levels of pressure and streamwise velocity spectrum show elevated levels for the adverse pressure gradient case, as high as 10 dB, when compared to the favorable pressure gradient case.

  PublisherDOI

• Characterizing Superstructures in Rough-Wall Turbulence

  2025-07-16 · 1 citations

  article

  In this paper, we investigate large-scale superstructures over a k-type homogeneous rough wall (k_s+ = 209) at a speed of 1.3 × 10^6 Rem−1, under varying pressure gradient conditions characterized by Clauser parameters ranging from beta = −0.6 (Favorable Pressure Gradient) to beta = 0.98 (Adverse Pressure Gradient). Time-resolved stereoscopic wall-parallel PIV measurements, combined with two-point spatial and temporal correlation analyses, reveal the presence of predominantly streamwise-aligned large-scale structures. While these correlations qualitatively capture the spatial and temporal coherence of the flow, only subtle variations are observed across different pressure gradient conditions. To gain deeper insights, kernelized Residual Dynamic Mode Decomposition (kResDMD) was employed to extract coherent modes that are not superstructures themselves but served as the skeletal representation of these structures. This modal characterization enabled us to quantify pressure gradient effects on structure distribution, organization, orientation, and frequency content, providing a more comprehensive description of superstructure dynamics in rough-wall turbulent boundary layers.

  PublisherDOI

• Locating Sound Through Turbulence with Novel Array Designs

  AIAA Journal · 2025-08-08 · 2 citations

  article

  Locating a sound source through the pressure fluctuations of a disruptive turbulent boundary layer is of great difficulty in aero/hydroacoustic applications. Conventional phased microphone arrays have trouble with this task because their diaphragms are exposed to the excess noise presented by these pressure fluctuations. In this paper, a meander-style metasurface was modified to make it flow-compatible. A subresonant sensor array was also designed to filter out convective pressure fluctuations and improve signal-to-noise ratio. These novel array designs were tested alongside a conventional phased array in Virginia Tech’s Stability Wind Tunnel. The meander metasurface array proved its ability to detect sound sources through a turbulent boundary layer, although it was less accurate than the other two arrays at increased flow speeds. The subresonant sensor array demonstrated great accuracy and provided insight into the design of through-cavities for convective pressure filtering. In combination, these results show promise for the development of novel acoustic array designs that can perform optimally through a turbulent boundary layer.

  PublisherDOI

• Measurement and analysis of sub-convective wall pressure fluctuations in turbulent boundary layer flows

  Journal of Fluid Mechanics · 2025-07-03 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  Sub-convective wall pressure fluctuations play a critical role in vibroacoustic and noise analyses of vehicle structures as they serve as the primary forcing function. However, measuring these fluctuations is challenging due to their weak pressure magnitudes, typically $10^{-3}{-}10^{-5}$ of convective fluctuations. This study introduces a non-intrusive measurement technique using an array of multi-pore Helmholtz resonator sensors to capture sub-convective fluctuations with high resolution. The array features large-area, spanwise-oriented sensors arranged linearly for optimal sampling. Results provide a continuous streamwise wavenumber–frequency spectrum, resolving sub-convective fluctuations with sufficient range and accuracy. Convergence analysis indicates that long sampling durations, $\mathcal{O}(10^6 \delta ^*/U_\infty )$ , $\delta^*$ is the displacement thickness of the boundary layer. $U_\infty$ is the freestream velocity are necessary to capture true sub-convective levels. Comparisons with four existing wall pressure models, which account for sensor area averaging, reveal discrepancies in predicted levels, convection speed relations and convective ridge characteristics. Notably, the measured data align most closely with the Chase (1980, J. Sound Vib., vol. 70, pp. 29–67) model at convective peak levels and in the sub-convective domain. However, the observed roll-off at wavenumbers exceeding the convective wavenumber decays more slowly than predicted, giving the convective ridge an asymmetric profile about the convective line. These findings underscore the need for improved wall pressure models that incorporate frequency-dependent convective speed relations, ridge asymmetry, and more accurate sub-convective levels. Further validation using a microphone array from Farabee &amp; Geib (1991) confirms the accuracy of our measurements, which indicate sub-convective pressure levels lower than reported previously.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparison of sub-convective pressure fluctuations over a smooth and rough wall

  International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow · 2025-04-21 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• EAGER: Improving the Aeroacoustic Properties of Hybrid Anechoic Wind Tunnels

  NSF · $196k · 2020–2021

• Establishing universal scaling laws for pressure fluctuations in high Reynolds number rough wall turbulent boundary layers

  NSF · $228k · 2014–2017

• Collaborative Research: The Pressure Shielding of Aerodynamic Surfaces

  NSF · $340k · 2018–2021

Frequent coauthors

• Stewart Glegg

  154 shared

• William N. Alexander

  Virginia Tech

  61 shared

• Aurélien Borgoltz

  Virginia Tech

  51 shared

• K. Todd Lowe

  Virginia Tech

  45 shared

• Aldo Gargiulo

  Virginia Tech

  26 shared

• Christopher J. Roy

  Virginia Tech

  26 shared

• Vidya Vishwanathan

  United States Naval Academy

  26 shared

• Máté Szőke

  Virginia Tech

  25 shared

Education

• PhD, Engineering

  University of Cambridge

  1985

• Bachelor of Science, Engineering Science

  University of Exeter

  1981

Awards & honors

• AIAA Aeroacoustics Award (2019)
• von Kármán Institute Lecture, Rhode Saint Genese, Belgium (2…
• Certificate of Teaching Excellence, College of Engineering,…
• Virginia Tech Recognition for Contributions to Health and Sa…
• Virginia Tech Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award, for…