Characteristics of Vibration Induced by Cavitation

Cavitation-induced vibration characteristics and the relations between the vibration and cavitation are studied. Cavitation vibrations are measured around a model hollow-jet valve by an accelerometer under cavitating and non-cavitating conditions. The measurement data is analyzed by FFT method. The corresponding cavitating flow patterns are photographed by a high-speed camera with an xenon flash lamp. The frequency band of the vibration induced by cavitation is determined. To compare the vibration intensities under different cavitation conditions, a definition of vibration acceleration level is introduced based on power spectral density of the vibration. By the analysis of vibration, the definitions of characteristic cavitation number are suggested. According to these cavitation numbers, the cavitation process is divided into three stages, that is, incipient cavitation, subcavitation and supercavitation.