Cavitation enhancement of silt erosion - An envisaged micro model

Cavitation and silt erosion often co-exist causing severe damage. The effect that the silt erosion is worsened by the presence of cavitation is here referred as cavitation enhancement of silt erosion. Its mechanism is still not fully understood despite the effort made in past decades. In this article, the need for a micro model is firstly demonstrated by reviewing the phenomenon from the viewpoint of fluid-particle interaction. Then, the postulated model is presented from the viewpoint of a driving force. The potential of this model in furthering our understanding is also demonstrated by re-visiting Sato's experimental study on synergetic erosion. Further development of this model through experimental and numerical simulations is thus recommended. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.