Experimental investigation of added mass effects on a hydrofoil under cavitation conditions

The influence of leading edge sheet cavitation and supercavitation on the added mass effects experienced by a 2-D NACA0009 truncated hydrofoil has been experimentally investigated in a hydrodynamic tunnel. A non-intrusive excitation and measuring system based on piezoelectric patches mounted on the hydrofoil surface was used to determine the natural frequencies of the fluid-structure system. The appropriate hydrodynamic conditions were selected to generate a range of stable partial cavities of various sizes and also to minimize the effects of other sources of flow noise and vibrations. The main tests were performed for different sigma values under a constant flow velocity of 14 m/s and for incident angles of both 10 and 2. Additionally, a series of experiments in which the hydrofoil was submerged in air, partially and completely submerged in still water and without cavitation at 7 and 14 m/s were also performed. The maximum added mass effect occurs with still water. When cavitation appears, the added mass decreases because the cavity length is increased, and the added mass is minimum for supercavitation. A linear correlation is found between the added mass coefficients and the entrained mass that accounts for the mean density of the cavity, its dimensions and its location relative to the specific mode shape deformation. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.