The Dynamics of a Cavitation Pocket and Cavitation Damage

Abstract

The motion of a liquid column in a vertical tube caused by a moving piston that contacts its lower boundary is considered. The law of the piston’s motion is defined based on experimental data. The acceleration of the piston exceeds the acceleration due to gravity. The separation of the liquid from the piston and the change in the volume of the cavitation pocket are accepted. The simplest model of the phenomenon is proposed. A qualitative analytical solution of the one-dimensional problem is presented; the results are compared with experimental data. The pressure upon the collapse of the pocket, the subsequent elastic oscillations of the tube bottom, and the resulting stresses are assessed.