Cavitation

Uncommon card · No. 115051

Cavitation in fluid mechanics and engineering normally is the phenomenon in which the static pressure of a liquid reduces to below the liquid's vapor pressure, leading to the formation of small vapor-filled cavities in the liquid. When subjected to higher pressure, these cavities, called "bubbles" or "voids", collapse and can generate shock waves that may damage machinery. As a concrete propeller example: The pressure on the suction side of the propeller blades can be very low and when the pressure falls to that of the vapour pressure of the working liquid, cavities filled with gas vapour can form. The process of the formation of these cavities is referred to as cavitation. If the cavities move into the regions of higher pressure (lower velocity), they will implode or collapse. These shock waves are strong when they are very close to the imploded bubble, but rapidly weaken as they propagate away from the implosion. Cavitation collapse is therefore a significant cause of wear in some engineering...

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