A study has been carried out to determine various aspects of the flow physics of a supercavitating vehicle at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL). For the experimental work presented here, artificial supercavitation behind a sharp-edged disk was investigated for various model configurations. Results regarding supercavity shape, closure, and ventilation requirements versus Froude number are presented. Conducting experiments in water tunnels introduces blockage effects that are not present in nature. As a result, effects related to flow choking must also be considered. Two methods for computing ventilated cavitation number were compared, the first based on direct measurement of pressure and velocity, and the second technique based on measured cavity geometry and the use of previous numerical results. The results obtained are similar in character to previously reported data, but differ in measured numerical values. An attempt is made to correlate results from water tunnel experiments, where blockage has a significant effect, to an unbounded open flow. Supercavitation parameters, especially the minimum obtainable cavitation number are strongly affected by tunnel blockage.

Issue Section:
Multiphase Flows
Keywords:
cavitation, confined flow, flow measurement, pressure measurement, velocity measurement, ventilation
Topics:
Cavitation, Cavities, Disks, Flow (Dynamics), Ventilation, Water tunnels, Vortices, Pressure

References

1.
Wosnik
,
M.
,
Schauer
,
T.
,
Arndt
,
R.E.A.
, 2003, “
Experimental Study on a Ventilated Supercavitating Vehicle
,” Cav03-OS-7-008,
Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Cavitation
(CAV2003),
Osaka
,
Japan
.
2.
Semenenko
,
V.N.
, 2001, “
Artificial Supercavitation. Physics and Calculation
,”
Lecture Notes from the RTO AVT/VKI Special Course on Supercavitating Flows
,
von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
,
Rhode Saint Genèse, Belgium
.
3.
Savchenko
,
Y.N.
, 2001, “
Experimental Investigation of Supercaviting Motion of Bodies
,”
Lecture Notes from the RTO AVT/VKI Special Course on Supercavitating Flows
,
von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics
,
Rhode Saint Genèse, Belgium
.
4.
Franc
,
J. P.
,
Michel
,
J. M.
, 2004,
Fundamentals of Cavitation
,
Kluwer Academic Publishers
,
Boston, MA
.
5.
Campbell
,
I. J.
, &
Hilborne
D. V.
, 1958, “
Air Entrainment Behind Artificially Inflated Cavities
,”
Proceedings of the 2nd Int. Symp. On Naval Hydrodynamics
,
Washington, D.C
.
6.
Paryshev
,
E.V.
, 2003, “
Mathematical Modeling of Unsteady Cavity Flows
,” Cav 03-OS-7-014,
Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Cavitation
(CAV 2003),
Osaka
,
Japan
.
7.
Schauer
,
T.
, 2003, “
An Experimental Study of a Ventilated Supercavity Vehicle
,” M.S. Thesis, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
8.
Brennen
,
C.
, 1969, “
A Numerical Solution of Axisymmetric Cavity Flows
,”
J.Fluid Mech.
,
37
(
4
), pp.
671
–
688
.
Crossref
Search ADS
 
9.
Swanson
,
W. M.
,
O’Neill
,
J.P.
, 1951, “
The Stability of an Air-Maintained Cavity behind a Stationary Object in Flowing Water
,” Memorandum Report No. M-24.3, Hydrodynamics Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.
10.
Epshtein
,
L.A.
, 1975, Developed Cavitation Flows. Reprinted with translation from: additions by L.A. Epshtein in book J.S. Pearsall. “Cavitation” translated into Russian, publishing house MIR, Moscow, Russia, pp.
73
–
103
. (Russ.).
11.
Logvinovich
G.V.
, 1972,
Hydrodynamics of Free-Boundary Flows
,
Israel Program for Scientific Translations
,
Jerusalem, Israel
.
12.
Tulin
,
M.P.
, 1961, “
Supercavitating Flows
,”
Handbook of Fluid Dynamics
,
Streeter
,
V.
 (ed.),
McGraw-Hill
,
New York
, pp.
1224
–
1246
.
13.
May
,
A.
, 1975, “
Water Entry and the Cavity – Running Behavior of Missiles
,” Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak Laboratory, White Oak, Silver Spring, Maryland.
14.
Karlikov
,
V. P.
,
Sholomovich
,
G.I.
, 1966, “
Method of Approximate Account for the Wall Effect in Cavitation Flow Around Bodies in Water Tunnels
,”
Izv. AN SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza
,
1
(
3
), pp.
89
–
93
.
15.
Kapankin
,
Y. N.
,
Gusev
,
A.V.
, 1984, “
Experimental Research of Joint Influence of Fluid and Lift Power of Cavitator on Character of Flow in Cavity Rear Part and Gas Departure from it
,”
Proceedings of CAHI
1984, No. 2244,
Moscow, Russia
, pp.
19
–
28
(Russ).
Copyright © 2011
 by American Society of Mechanical Engineers
You do not currently have access to this content.