Unsteady supercavitating flow past cones*

Based on integral equation method, the study of unsteady supercavitating flow past cones is presented. The shape and length of supercavity are calculated respectively using the finite difference time discretization method. The characteristics of the shape and length of supercavities, which vary with the cone's angle and cavitation number, are investigated respectively, the varied features of some supercavity scales are analyzed when the flow field is perturbed periodically. The curves relationship between cavity length and cavitation number, which are based respectively on present method and other theories, are discussed and compared. It is obviously shown that the supercavity changes have two characteristics: retardance and wave. These results obtained would be useful in the case of design and analysis of cavitator under water.