Mode decomposition and simulation of cloud cavity behaviors around a composite hydrofoil

Numerical investigation of the cavity dynamics around a composite hydrofoil with a blunt trailing edge in the cloud cavitating flow is carried out using a tightly coupled fluid-structure interaction method. The hydrofoil is made of a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers with a ply angle of − 4 5 ∘ (CFRP −45). The results of a stainless-steel hydrofoil with the same geometry and conditions are used as a reference. Simulation results have been validated carefully against experimental data. Several fundamental mechanisms are dictated through simulation results and mode decomposition, including the multistage shedding process, the influence of the bend-twist coupling effect on cavity behaviors, cavitation-vortex interaction, and kinematics of coherent structures. The main reason for the generation of a secondary re-entrant jet is that the primary cloud cavity collapse leads to high pressure, which spreads to the residual sheet cavity closure and then induces a high-pressure gradient. The negative bend-twist coupling effect causes the CFRP −45 hydrofoil to exhibit a smaller cloud cavity scale and non-uniform re-entrant jet strength in the spanwise direction compared to the stainless-steel hydrofoil. Modal decomposition via proper orthogonal decomposition and dynamic mode decomposition indicates that the dominant coherent structures in the cloud cavitating flow include the large-scale cloud cavity, rotating structures due to the re-entrant jet, attached cavity, and small-scale vortex in the wake. The results obtained in this study provide physical insight into the understanding of the mechanisms relevant to complex cloud cavitating flow around a composite hydrofoil.