An Experimental Study on the Water Hammer with Cavity Collapse under Multiple Interruptions

Pressurized pipeline system damage is primarily caused by the highly destructive water hammer force. Currently, research on water hammer-caused collapse is mostly based on single-point collapse cases, but water hammer research, which involves multipoint collapse, is insufficient. Here, we establish an experimental platform to realize water hammers with multipoint collapse. With different schemes, i.e., various initial flow rates and valve closing speeds, we observed the hydraulic transient process with a high-speed camera, analyzed its characteristics and explained experimental phenomena with theoretical knowledge. Using experimental data analysis, we summarized the influencing factors and laws of the cavity length and water hammer pressure. Flow and pressure data for the different schemes were recorded to provide basic simulation data. Water column separation experimental phenomena were observed: completely atomized, completely cavitated and partially cavitated, and both cavitated and atomized. At the pump outlet, three hydraulic transition states occurred simultaneously in the horizontal pipe section: completely atomized, completely cavitated, and both cavitated and atomized. Two hydraulic transition states occurred in the knee region: completely and partially cavitated, and without atomization. The experimental results reveal that the initial flow rate and valve closing speed greatly affect the water hammer pressure rise and cavity length. The higher the initial flow rate and valve closing speed are, the larger the water hammer pressure rise and cavity length are.