The effects of turbulence on cavitation inception

Abstract

Turbulence strongly influences the coefficients of cavitation incipience sigma "SUB i" in a direct way, through the pressure fluctuation, and also indirectly due to the intensification of rectified gas diffusion in the cavitating bubble. The relations established in the present work to exprime the scale effect DELTA sigma "SUB T" due to turbulence, are based on the idea that the maximum pressure fluctuations produced by turbulence occurs at a distance from the wall, in particular in the middle part of the boundary layer, attached or detached. The effects of rectified diffusion in the conditions of turbulence were neglected. The results concerning the cavitation incipience scale effects due to turbulence, represent a step forward in understanding this complex problems, which need further theoretical and experimental investigations. (from Author)