Stainless Steel Armor Plate Design for Protecting Supercavitating Baffle Blocks against Debris Impacts in High-Velocity Stilling Basins

Abstract

Supercavitating baffle blocks, with their unique geometry, have been shown to be highly effective in reducing cavitation damage to stilling basins’ floors and to the baffle blocks themselves. However, this unique geometry, which consists of thin concrete edges and steep slopes, is very susceptible to abrasion erosion by debris impacts. This paper presents a methodology for sizing debris, calculating impact forces, and an armored plate design that can withstand high-velocity impacts while conforming to the baffle blocks challenging shape.