Cavitation in Bearings

Cavitation is the disruption of what would otherwise be a continuous liquid phase by the presence of a gas or vapour or both. The phenomenon has been examined by scientists and engineers for a century or more, and although this review concentrates on cavitation in bearings, there have been many studies outside the field of lubrication. Most of these have been concerned with aqueous systems, and the erosive damage to surfaces bounding a cavitating flow has received much attention. Com­ ponents that have proved susceptible to cavitation erosion damage include pump impellers, valves, marine propelle rs, pipes, and cylinder liners. Another nont ribologi cal problem