A Study of Cavitation Erosion in Artificial Submerged Water Jets

Abstract

The artificially submerged cavitation water jet is effectively utilized by ejecting a high-pressure water stream into a low-pressure water stream through concentric nozzles and utilizing the cavitation phenomenon generated by the shear layer formed between the two streams. In this study, we investigated the cavitation characteristics of artificially submerged cavitation water jets by combining numerical simulations and erosion experiments. The results indicate that an appropriate standoff distance can generate more cavitation clouds on the workpiece surface, and the erosion characteristics of the artificially submerged cavitation water jet are most pronounced at a dimensionless standoff distance of SD = 30. The shear effect formed between the two jets plays a crucial role in generating initial cavitation bubbles within the flow field of the artificially submerged cavitation water jet. Moreover, increasing the convergent angle between the two jets can significantly enhance the cavitation effect between them and lead to a more substantial cavitation effect. Simultaneously, increasing the pressure of the high-pressure inner nozzle also contributes to enhancing the cavitation effect of the artificially submerged cavitation water jet.