Recent Developments on Marine Propeller Cavitation Investigations at INSEAN

The activity in the framework of a joint experimental/theoretical research program on marine propeller cavitation performed at the Italian Ship Model Basin (INSEAN) is presented. The objective is to develop techniques to provide accurate measurements and reliable predictions of propeller cavitation at model scale. Flowfield investigations are performed by using advanced imaging techniques to determine quantitative information on both cavity location and dimensions. Cavity flow appearances are correlated to radiated noise measurements. Theoretical predictions are based on a boundary integral formulation that includes trailing vorticity analysis, boundary layer solution and sheet cavitation modelling. The status of the project and preliminary results are presented and discussed.