Cavitating vortex generation by a submerged jet

The surface geometry of a cavitating vortex is determined in the limit of inviscid incompressible flow. The limit surface is an ovaloid of revolution with an axis ratio of 5 : 3. It is shown that a cavitating vortex ring cannot develop if the cavitation number is lower than a certain critical value. Experiments conducted at various liquid pressures and several jet exit velocities confirm the existence of a critical cavitation number close to 3. At cavitation numbers higher than the critical one, the cavitating vortex ring does not develop. At substantially lower cavitation numbers (k <= 0.1), an elongated asymmetric cavitation bubble is generated, with an axial reentrant jet whose length can exceed the initial jet length by several times. This flow structure is called an asymmetric cavitating vortex, even though steady motion of this structure has not been observed.