On the mechanism of the bursting phenomena of propeller tip vortex cavitation

 The bursting phenomenon of tip vortex cavitation of a propeller sometimes causes severe high-frequency vibration, but its mechanism has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we carried out model experiments by changing the propellers, wake distributions, thrust coefficients, and cavitation numbers parametrically, examined the bursting phenomenon with a high-speed video camera, and measured the pressure fluctuations caused by the phenomenon. We also measured flow distribution around the tip vortex. As a result, we found that in the bursting phenomenon, large pressure fluctuations occurred twice, and that they strongly depended on the wake distribution. Two means were suggested to suppress the bursting phenomenon, other than changing the wake distribution: stabilizing tip vortex cavitation or reducing the cavity volume. Numerical fluid simulations around a propeller in noncavitating, unsteady conditions were also conducted, and the strength of the tip vortex along the circumference and its derivative were examined. As a result, the phenomena were parameterized by the time derivative of the strength of the tip vortex, and if it was higher than a threshold value, the tip vortex cavitation burst. Therefore, it is possible to predict the occurrence of the bursting phenomenon by numerical analysis. Received: November 6, 2001 / Accepted: January 24, 2002