Scale effects in cavitation experiments with marine propeller models

Abstract

The paper presents an overview of specific scale effects encountered in the cavitation experiments with marine propeller models. These scale effects result from unavoidable dissimilarity between model and full scale flow phenomena. They may influence first of all inception of different forms of cavitation, but they also are visible in development and desinence of cavitation on propeller blades. These scale effects may be divided into five main categories, which are described in detail. The influence of these five categories of scale effects on the different aspects of cavitation performance of marine propellers is discussed.