Experimental insight into the effect of confinement on tip vortex cavitation of an elliptical hydrofoil

The tip vortex cavitation of an elliptical hydrofoil under confined situations is analyzed. In the range of variation of the boundary layer thickness studied, no significant interaction is observed between the tip vortex and the boundary layer which develops on the confinement plate. The cavitation inception index for the tip vortex cavitation does not depend significantly upon the length of the plate upstream of the foil. On the contrary, tip clearance has a strong influence on the non-cavitating structure of the tip vortex and, consequently, on the inception of cavitation in its core.