Numerical Simulation of Cavitation Erosion Aggressiveness Induced by Unsteady Cloud Cavitation

A numerical investigation of the erosion aggressiveness of leading edge unsteady cloud cavitation based on the energy balance approach has been carried out to ascertain the main damaging mechanisms and the influence of the free stream flow velocity. A systematic approach has permitted the determination of the influence of several parameters on the spatial and temporal distribution of the erosion results comprising the selection of the cavitation model and the collapse driving pressure. In particular, the Zwart, Sauer and Kunz cavitation models have been compared as well as the use of instantaneous versus average pressure values. The numerical results have been compared against a series of experimental results obtained from pitting tests on copper and stainless steel specimens. Several cavitation erosion indicators have been defined and their accuracy to predict the experimental observations has been assessed and confirmed when using a material-dependent damaging threshold level. In summary, the use of the average pressure levels during a sufficient number of simulated shedding cycles combined with the Sauer cavitation model are the recommended parameters to achieve reliable results that reproduce the main erosion mechanisms found in cloud cavitation. Moreover, the proposed erosion indicators follow a power law as a function of the free stream flow velocity with exponents ranging from 3 to 5 depending on their definition.