Numerical investigation of cavitation flow on hydroelastic response of a flexible 3D hydrofoil

The dynamical response of a 3D hydrofoil in the cavitation flow is investigated. Fluid and Structure Interaction (FSI) simulation was performed using ANSYS Fluent Software. First, the validation of cavitation flow around NACA 0015 hydrofoil was carried out. To predict the essential features of cavitation flow, like the shedding of vortex and cloud cavities, the turbulent viscosity of SST (Shear-Stress Transport) k-omega model was modified by writing a UDF (User-Defined Function) code. To ensure the simulation of two-way Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI), the results of NACA 66 hydrofoil in the uniform flow at non-cavitation conditions (wetted flow) are compared with experimental results, which indicates a good agreement. The results show that metallic alloys (aluminium and magnesium) have a slight effect on hydrofoil performance in comparison to each other. At the flexible foils, the hydrodynamic loads would cause bending and twisting deformations of the foil and the foil vibration.