On Cavity Formation in Water

Abstract

Phenomena involving the tensile strength of water have been studied by a kinetic method—high speed motion photography of the rapid movement of a blunt glass rod (5 mm diameter) in a narrow (16 mm inside diameter) glass tube of water. Special precautions have been taken to remove all hydrophobic patches and small gas masses (gas nuclei) but to retain the dissolved gas (air at one atmosphere) in the water. If the rod surface contained gas nuclei, or was hydrophobic and free of gas nuclei, cavitation occurred at the rear end when the velocity was less than 3 meters/sec., but if completely hydrophilic and free of gas nuclei, the velocity could be 37 meters/sec. or 83 miles/hour without cavitation. Addition of a detergent (diactyl sodium succinate) to the water did not prevent cavitation at a low velocity with the hydrophobic rod free of gas nuclei. Movement of a rod in pure corn syrup (viscosity 20.1 poises), free of gas nuclei, left a large cylindrical cavity that collapsed in a matter of hundredths of a second. It is not possible to calculate the tensions developed in these experiments, but it is pointed out that the velocities attained without cavitation are far higher than previously observed for movement of bodies in an aqueous medium, a result believed to be owing to the absence of all gas phases and hydrophobic surfaces.