Experimental Investigations of Three-Dimensional Effects on Cavitating Hydrofoils

Abstract

An investigation in the high-speed water tunnel of the hydsrodynamic characteristics of a family of three-dimensional sharp-edged hydrofoils is described. Four rectangular plan-form, 6-deg wedge profiles with aspect ratios of 4.0, 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5 were tested over a range of cavitation numbers from noncavitating to fully cavitating flow. The effects of aspect ratio on the flow and cavity configurations and on the lift, drag and pitching moment are discussed. Where data were available the results have been compared with the two-dimensional case.