Cavitation is a phenomena associated with operating in fluids such as water.
When the local pressure drops low enough, the liquid changes state to gas -
it boils, with bad results with regard to noise, performance, and hydrofoil
longevity. Can't happen in air, air is already a gas. So, no, Cessna
drivers (and Cessna's designers) aren't interested in cavitation. Cavitation
is primarily of interest in high speed watercraft propeller (screw) design.
The big flap a dozen years ago over Toshiba's illegal sale of computer
controlled milling machines to the Soviet Union was based on the fact that
that technology allowed them to better build complex, non-cavitating (thus
quieter) submarine screws.
Gary Edwards
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Cwiklinski" <plinkochips@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 8:15 PM
Subject: Re: [OM] OT Low Flying, was an OM weekend
>
> Sounds like a Mechanical Engineering explanation and just what I have been
> looking for.
> Fluid mechanics describes this as cavitation, but I have never been able
to
> corroborate. I've asked Cessna pilots about it being called cavitation and
> they have said no, but they do not know the technical term for it.
> Any idea of the technical term for the vaporization of air around the
wings
> and/or fuselage of an aircraft? Is it cavitation?
> Really OT now.
>
> John Cwiklinski
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