An Experimental Investigation of Cavitation Inception and Development on a Two-Dimensional Eppler Hydrofoil

Cavitation inception and development on a two-dimensional foil with an Eppler E817 cross section issued from an inverse calculus have been experimentally investigated. The foil is theoretically designed to have a wide cavitation-free bucket allowing a large range of cavitation-free angle of incidence (Eppler, R., 1990, Airfoil Design and Data, Springer-Verlag, Berlin). The inception cavitation numbers, the noise level, the velocity distribution, the minimum pressure coefficient, the cavitation patterns (bubble, leading edge “band type” cavitation, attached sheet cavity), together with the sheet cavity length have been experimentally determined. Effects on the velocity field have been studied too with a slightly developed cavitation. For angles of incidence larger than 1 deg, a great difference exists between the inception cavitation number and the theoretical minimum pressure coefficient. However it is in agreement with the measured one obtained from velocity measurements (for 0 deg<α<6 deg). Discrepancy between theory and experiment on scale models is generally attributed to a flow separation at the leading edge. Although there are some indications of a separated flow at the leading edge, the velocity measurements do not show reverse flow with clearly detected negative velocities excepted for a large angle of incidence equal to 10 deg. Concerning sheet cavity development, the length cavity is found to scale as $[σ/2α−αiσ]−m$ with m close to 2, for length cavities that do not exceed half the foil chord and for $σ/2α−αiσ$ larger than about 30. [S0098-2202(00)00201-7]