Nucleation effects on tip-gap cavitation

Cavitation in tip leakage flows have been investigated in a water tunnel for different concentrations of free-stream cavitation nuclei. High-resolution still photography exhibits similar cavitation topology overall. However, hydro-acoustic measurements reveal stark differences in the desinent extinction of cavitation when different levels of active nuclei are present. Results quantify the anticipated challenges in designing enclosed propulsors and turbo-machinery that operate in flows with varying susceptibility to cavitation.