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Published December 1981 | public
Journal Article Open

Cavitation Inception in Spool Valves

Abstract

Cavitation has been investigated in directional control valves in order to identify damage mechanisms characteristic of components of aircraft hydraulic systems. Tests have been conducted in a representative metal spool valve and in a model three times larger. Data taken under noncavitating conditions with both valves showed that the position of the high-velocity annular jet shifts orientation, depending upon valve opening and Reynolds number. By means of high-frequency response pressure transducers strategically placed in the valve chamber cavitation could be sensed by the correlation of noise with a cavitation index. The onset of cavitation can be detected by comparing energy spectra for a fixed valve opening and a constant discharge. Another sensitive indicator of cavitation inception is the ratio of cavitating to noncavitating spectral densities. The incipient cavitation number as defined in this investigation is correlated with the Reynolds number for both valves.

Additional Information

Contributed by the Fluids Engineering Division of THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS and presented at the International Symposium on Cavitation Inception, ASME Winter Annual Meeting, New York, N.Y., December 2-7. 1979. Manuscript received by the Fluids Engineering Division March 18, 1980. This investigation was supported in full by the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory through AFOSR Contract F33615-77-C-2036, which was administered by Project Engineer Paul D. Lindquist. The authors would also like to acknowledge the direct contribution of J. I. Craig, F. D. Lewis, and H. J. Bates.

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Created:
August 22, 2023
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October 13, 2023