On the Characteristics of Cavitation Formation Subjected to Underwater Blast Shock Wave

On the basis of plane shock wave hypothesis, the characteristics of local cavitation and bulk cavitation formation subjected to underwater explosion were theoretically and experimentally studied. The effects of structure dimensions and shock wave parameters on the cavitation formation were analyzed theoretically. Aiming at validating the local cavitation theory,an underwater explosion experiment in a 5 m diameter columned water tank was carried out. The explosion layout was as follows: 50 g TNT charge was placed at a 1 m stand-off away from a 1 m square and 2 mm thick steel plate.Results show that different structure dimensions can affect significantly the formation of local cavitation under the same shock wave parameters, and the quantity and depth of charges play an important role in the bulk cavitation formation. The experimental results basically agree with those of theoretical analysis.