Kavitációs

Kavitációs refers to a phenomenon known as cavitation. Cavitation is the formation of vapor bubbles in a liquid when the local pressure drops below the vapor pressure of the liquid. This can occur in various situations, such as when a liquid flows rapidly around an object or through a constricted area. As the liquid passes through these low-pressure zones, the dissolved gases within the liquid come out of solution, and the liquid itself can vaporize, forming small bubbles.

When these bubbles encounter a region of higher pressure, they collapse violently. This rapid implosion generates shock waves and microjets of liquid. The cumulative effect of these collapsing bubbles can cause significant damage to solid surfaces. This is why cavitation is often a concern in engineering applications involving fluid flow. For example, it can erode pump impellers, propeller blades, and other machinery components exposed to high-speed liquid flow.

Cavitation is also utilized in some industrial and medical applications. In ultrasonic cleaning, high-frequency sound waves create cavitation bubbles in a cleaning fluid. The collapse of these bubbles generates microjets that effectively dislodge contaminants from surfaces. In medicine, focused ultrasound surgery uses cavitation to ablate or break down tissue. The controlled generation and collapse of these vapor bubbles are key to its therapeutic effects. Understanding and controlling cavitation is important for both preventing damage and harnessing its useful properties.