Numerical Simulation of an Ultrasonic Vibratory Cavitation Device

As an experimental quantitative method to assess erosion risk, the acoustic emission (AE) technique has been employed, for example, by Lloyds Register for more than a decade now to complement their borescopic cavitation observation at the ship scale. Boorsma and Fitzsimmons (2009) reported (see Fig. 1,) its correlation with borescope observed cavitation events appeared very positive and the location of cavitation impingement on the rudder (shown in the left image of Fig. 1) coincided with the estimated location by multiple synchronous measurements of AE at different locations. If it is possible to decipher how the AE connected with the pressure waves emitted from any given cavitation event, predicting the pressure waves we may be able to predict AE and eventually where and what intensity of cavitation events occur on any given propeller or ship structures. The transfer function can be useful for establishing quantitative correlations between CFD, full-scale trial data and with model test data.