Cavitaatio

Cavitation refers to the formation of vapor-filled bubbles in a liquid when the local pressure drops below the liquid's vapor pressure. This phenomenon is commonly observed in situations involving rapidly moving fluids, such as in pumps, propellers, or even within the human body during medical procedures.

When the pressure decreases, the liquid molecules gain enough energy to overcome intermolecular forces and transition into a gaseous state, forming these tiny bubbles. As these bubbles travel into regions of higher pressure, they collapse violently. This implosion generates localized shock waves and high temperatures, which can cause significant damage to surrounding materials or tissues. In mechanical systems, cavitation can lead to erosion, noise, and reduced efficiency. In medical applications, controlled cavitation is utilized for therapeutic purposes, such as lithotripsy for breaking kidney stones or in some forms of ultrasound therapy. The study of cavitation is important in fluid dynamics, acoustics, and biomedical engineering.