Determination of Cavity Detachment for Sheet Cavitation

Abstract

Sheet cavitation has been traditionally analyzed with ideal fluid theory that employs the cavitation number as the single parameter. However, characteristics of cavitation can significantly depend on location of cavity detachment. According to known experimental data, this location is influenced by the freestream speed and the body/hydrofoil size. As shown in this paper, it takes place because of the combined effect of the Reynolds number and Weber number. Here, sheet cavitation is considered as a special kind of viscous separation caused by the cavity itself. The viscous-inviscid interaction concept is employed to analyze the entire flow. Validation of the suggested approach is provided for hydrofoils and bodies of revolution. The effects of flow speed, the body size, and its surface wettability are illustrated by comparison of computed cavity length/shape to the known experimental data. The difference between cavity detachment in laminar and turbulent boundary layers is discussed.