marc mularz wrote:

I believe that the best way to understand cavitiation is to think of it as a
localized pressure drop behind a spinning blade. This effectively lowers the
vaporization point of the liquid allowing it to boil.  As we all know, the
boiling point of a liquid is directly related to the surrounding pressure
(which is why we pressurize our cooling systems).  If the blade in the pump
is spinning faster than the liquid can fill in the space behind the blade
(for any number of reasons), a presure drop is then created in the area
behind the blade and voila, cavitation.  I hope this layman's version helps
people to visualize this phenomenon.  Take care,  Marc M

 
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