Propeller cavitation, vibration excitation and

noise
• General on cavitation
• Propeller geometry effect on
cavitation
• Secondary effects of propeller
cavitation

Jerzy Matusiak Ship propulsion 21.11.2017 1

 Definion, physics
• Change of a phase from liquid to gas
• Pressure in fluid drops down to critical value as an effect
of high flow speeds resulting in cavitation (mixture of
vapour, air and water)
• Cavitation means the process of a phase change and the
created bubbles
• Caviattion is a result of high speed flows
• For a homogeneous water the critical pressure would be
the vapour pressuer ie. pkr = pv.
• In practice cavitation starts a bit earlier than at pv.
• Air nuclei (radius R0 = 10-4 ... 10-2 m), comprised water
stimulate cavitation at spme what higher pressures
• However, good approximation is pkr = pv = pc.
• For water temperature180 C, pv = 1.9 kN/m2.
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 Bernoulli eq. and cavitation
pa water surface

−p
d
−
h p = p + pd
0
+
p = pa + ρ gh U
0

1 ρ U2+ p = 1 ρ u2+ p p
0
2 2
• Hydrofoil is close water surface and p
0 p0 + pd ρ gh
hydrostatic pressure p0 is low
• If flow velocity u at suction side is large pc
enough total pressure p may drop pa
kavitaatio
significantly 0
• If it reaches a critical value pc, cavitation
starts

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 Cavitation number; different definitions of it
Reference pressure Vapour pressure
p − pv
p − pv σ= q
σA = h
1 ρ V2A stagnation pressure
2
ph − pv ph − pv
σN = σR = kvv
1 ρ 0.7 π n D 2 1 ρ V2A + 0.7 π n D 2
2 2 VA
h0
pa − pv + ρ g h0 − r cos(θ + θ s)
σ(r,θ ) =
1 ρ (V2 + ω2r2)
A
2

U, po
α

Cp

0 ph = ρ g h0 +pa
-σ

kavitaatio

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 Types of propeller cavitation
• Fixed and traveling bubble cavitation

Tip-vortex cavitation

Sheet cavitation

Bubble (cloud)
cavitation

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 MS Arcturus blade position 40, PD=9140 kW, P/D=0.964,
Vs=17.6 s, 118 rpm

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 Sheet cavitation
kärkipyörrekavitaatio
levykavitaatio
Sheet cavitation • Shet cavitation is a glassy thin
layer of vapour attached to
blade
• If it not changing rapidly with
kuplakavitaatio blade angle q, it is not causing
much harm
• Unsteadiness of it, volume
variations, causes varying
pressures and vibration
problems.
α • Starts normally at the leading
edge, wher pressure is at the
U
minimum
σ
−
+

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 Bubble and tip-vortex cavitation
kärkipyörrekavitaatio
levykavitaatio
• Bubble or cloud cavitation is created as a
result of unsteadiness of sheet cavitation
or of a strong turbulence.
• Cavitation bubbles pass into a high
kuplakavitaatio ambient pressure region where they
disintegrate
• This results in high valued and rapid
pressure peaks that cause noise and
erosion of blade material
• At the tip and the root of propeller blade tip vortices are formed
• If they are sufficiently strong, they start to cavitate, especially for a blade
close to top position
• Root cavitation occurs seldom because of deep submergence (high
hydrostatic pressure)
• However, if it occurs it causes much harm in a form of erosion

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 Pressure side cavitation
−p painepuolen kavitaatio • Cavitation normally at suction
d side
− • For CPP it may occur at
prtessure side as well
U • If revs are kept high and pitch is
+ low agles of attack, especially in
a tip region, may get negative
values

• As a result flow accelerates strongly

• Yielding strong and narrow low pressure peak at the pressure side
• In the same time unsteady cavitation and bubble cavitation occur.

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 On propeller cavitation excitation
• Model tests

• The most reliable way of evaluating cavitation induced pressures

• Conducted either in a cavitation tunnel or in a deprusserized towing tank
• The accuracy of blead frequency pressure evaluation is 30% - 50 %.
• Noise evaluation up to 5 dB accuracy

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 Caviation types and flow parameters
Pressure side cavitation
8 J o
αe Suction side cavitation len kavitaati
painepuo
6 imupuolen kavitaatio

työnnön romahdus
4 Cavitation free regio
kavitaatiovapaa alue
2 Cavitation free regio
kavitaatiovapaa alue
kärkipyörrekav
0 itaatio Tip vortexcavitation
imupuolen k
-2 av itaatio
painepuolen kavitaatio
Pressure side cavitation Suction side cavitation
-4
σ
1 2 3 σ

• Cavitation depends strongly upon hydrofoil loading and upon the hydrostatic
pressure
• Hydrofoil loading is well represent by angle of attack ae and advance number J
describes propeller loading
• Static pressure related to stagnation pressure is described by cavitation number
s.
• Those parameters are used when presenting cavitation features of hydrofoils
and propellers

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 Effect of propeller geometry on cavitation
• The same parameters matter than the ones that influnce dynamic
pressure
• Dynamic pressure is related directly to Vr2.
• This results in a rule of thumb for maximum tip vortex velocity of 35 m/s
» Tämän säännön mukaan kärjen kehän nopeus ei saisi ylittää 40 m/s.
• Propeller blade area, pitcha and hydrofoil shape have the biggest effect

Blade area ratio

• Initial value can be obtained from

Single screw vessel
AE = 3.5 T 1 − d/D yksipotkurisille aluksille
A0 D2 (100 + 5 h0)
Multiscrew vessel
AE = 3.5 T 1 − d/D kaksipotkurisille aluksille,
A0 D2 (100 + 13 h0)

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 Criteria of Burrill and Keller for blade area ratio
T/A P Burrill
τc =
1 ρ V2r = 0.7R
0.4
2 Upper bound for merchant ship
τc
yläraja kauppalaivoille
0.3
Kellerin kriteeri Upper bound for naval ship
yläraja sotalaivoille
0.2
AE = 1.3 + 0.3 Z T + k
A0
p0 − pv D2 alaraja troolareille
ja hinaajille
p0 = pa + ρ g h
Lower bound for trawler and tug
0.1

Ship type k
Fast Navy vessel 0
Multiscrew 0.1
0.05
Single screw 0.2
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.7 1 1.5 2
σR

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 Propeller pitch

• Propeller pitch selected on the basis of model test series

characteristics
• These were conducted in atmospheric condition with an aim of
maximum efficiency
• As a result pitch spanwise distribution is constant
• These kind of propellers are used very seldom
• In ship propellers pitch is reduced by 15% at root (Phub/P0.7 = 0.85),
that is the region of decelerated flow
• To secure good vibration and noise properties, pitch is reduced at
the tip as well
• Big reduction of pitch at tip reduces propeller efficiency
• Final propeller design is ensured by lifting-line and/or –surface
computations

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 Hydrofoil shape
• In old times hydrofoil was of the same shape airofoil
• Typically used shape was NACA-four digit –airfoil which
had poor cavitation properties
– Strong low pressure peak at the leading edge
• Much better is the so-called NACA a = 0.8 mean line
(modified) -airfoil.
• the pressure is distributed more evenly
Δp NACA - four digit
NACA- 0.8 keskiviiva

NACA a = 0.8 mean line (modified)

NACA - four digit

0.8 c c
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 Cavitation influence on propeller performance
10 KQ KT, η0 σA = 10.0
σA = 1.8
1.0
σA = 1.2
10 KQ η0
• Cavitation inception does not have
0.8 much effect on performance
0.6 KT
• Substantial cavitation area
influences first the thrust and later
0.4
also the torque
0.2

0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 J

• As thrust decreases faster, efficiency is affected as well

• Cavitation does not have strong effect on maximum of propeller efficiency
• The effect depends upon propeller loading (J) and cavitation number s
• For a strong cavitation an increase of revs is followed by a decrease of
thrust and torque

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 Secondary effects of a cavitating propeller
u(r,θ)
w(r, θ) = 1 −
kvv Vs
0.6 0.4
0.5
Surface force 0.4 0.2 0.3
p(t) 0.3 0.4
0.2 0.1 0.3
h0 θ
0.2
r
0.1
Z(t)
T0 + T(t)

Q0 + Q(t)
yksipotkurinen alus kaksipotkurinen alus

• Apart steady components (thrust and torque) propeller

develops unsteady forces and moments
– These are called as "bearing forces”.
• These forces are rather small (2- 5%) of the steady thrust
value

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 Propeller-induced pressure
• Propeller induces a harmonic pressure field which affects a
submerged stern part of a ship
– As a results the so-called surface forces are created
• Normally cavitation of a surface vessel propeller can not be avoided
• The extent of cavitation depends upon blade angular position
• Non-homogeneous wake and variation of hydrostatic pressure are
responsible for the unsteadiness of
• This unsteadiness is usually the main source of vibration aboard.
• The pressure induced by propeller cavitation extends much further in
space than the one of a non-cavitating propeller
– Moreover, it comprises also high frequency components
• This noise type pressure is nuisance to passengers and crew
• It may disturb hydroacustic measurements of a research vessel or
reveal a naval vessel to an enemy

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 The contributors to propeller induced broadband pressures
dL
x Ui(t)

dF(t) UA(t)
Vr (t)
dT(t)
βi (t) αe(t) Vg(t)
αg(t) UT(t)
Vx
Ac(t) = VS 1 − w(r,θ)
βi(t)
θ β(t)
dK(t)

φ dD(t) ωr

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 Propeller noise and erosion
Vapor pressure
höyrypaineen nousevan paineen Increasing pressure region
p alue alue
0 ∂A
Ac , c < 0
∂t

p
v
c
lc

• Cavitation bubbles (cloud) relates to unsteadiness of sheet cavitation

• Shhet cavitation grows as an effect of vaporization accelerated by a presence
of air nulei
• Disintegration of sheet cavitation results in creation of cavtiation bubbles
• These drift into an increasing pressure region where they collapse
• This collapsing of bubbles results in a large number of short pressure pulses
that together create a broadband pressure signal, responsible for noise and
erosion

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