Global cavitation patterns and corresponding hydrodynamics of the hydrofoil with leading edge roughness

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to experimentally investigate the cavitation patterns and corresponding hydrodynamics of the hydrofoil with leading edge roughness. The aims are to (1) understand the effect of the leading edge roughness on the hydrodynamic performance, and (2) have a good knowledge of the interaction between the leading edge roughness and the cavitation patterns. Experimental results are indicated for the NACA 66 hydrofoils with and without leading edge roughness at different incidence angles for sub and cavitation conditions. The experiments are conducted in the EPFL high-speed cavitation tunnel (Avellan 2015). The results showed that the leading edge roughness has a significant effect on the hydrodynamic performance at the sub cavitation, suppressing the formation of the incipient cavitation. The lift coefficient of the hydrofoil without leading edge roughness is larger than that of the hydrofoil with leading edge roughness, while for the drag coefficients, the results are contrary for the lift coefficient, and the maximum lift-to-drag ratio angle is delayed for the hydrofoil with leading edge roughness. The leading edge roughness modified the local pressure distribution at the leading edge region, which in turn significantly increased the minimum pressure coefficient, hence the incipient cavitation number of the hydrofoil with leading edge roughness. The formation and evolution of the transient cavity for the cloud cavitation is little affected by the leading edge roughness. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].