Cavitation in Hydraulic Machinery, Valves, Piping, and Marine Systems

1 Introduction

Cavitation occurs in hydraulic equipment whenever a local pressure minimum permits vapor formation and a subsequent pressure increase causes vapor structures to collapse. The engineering consequences depend on where cavities form, how they are transported, where they collapse, and how frequently the associated pressure pulses interact with solid boundaries. The same physical mechanism therefore appears differently in pumps, throttling devices, propulsors, hydrofoils, and turbines. Reliable assessment requires simultaneous consideration of the pressure field, operating point, fluid properties, geometry, structural response, and surface condition [1,2].