On the Cavitation Occurring at the Bottom of a Suddenly Accelerated Circular Cylinder : Effects of Air Content in Water on Incipient Cavitation

A relatively simple device for cavitation testing was developed, with the view to investigating the mechanism of and effects of physical properties of liquids on cavitation. This device is based on the principle that a longitudinal stress wave is generated at one end of the cylindrical rod by an impact given at the other end, causing negative pressures and thus cavitation in the liquid surrounding the lower end of the rod. The results of the investigation can be summarized as follws : (1) By installing a cylinder around the testing rod, it is possible to suppress the generation of the ring cavitation and to realize a nearly one-dimensional pressure field under the bottom face of the testing rod ; (2) Decreasing the air content in the liquid can reduce cavitation inception pressures.