A New Instrument in Cavitation Research: The Cavitation Susceptibility Meter

Abstract

The rate of cavitation in liquid flow appears to be linked to the concentration and size distribution of gas bubbles and “weak” nuclei in the liquid used, as well as to the dissolved gas content. Consequently, the onset of cavitation is related to the tensile strength of the liquid, rather than the vapor pressure. The tensile strength of the liquid depends on the amount of gas in gas pockets (i.e., gas bubbles and gas absorbed at solid particles) suspended in the liquid and the shape of these gas pockets. An instrument will be described, which measures the tensile strength in a direct way. In this method a sample of liquid is made to pass through a pressure well, the minimum pressure of which can be adjusted.