Engine cavitation

Replies

• 

  Ramani Aswath

  ishutopre

  Now I want to calculate *the amount* of cavitation in a single cylinder bike engine.😀

  Cavitation occurs only outside water cooled engine cylinders. The cooling water is already warm and so has a high vapour pressure. When the cylinder expands and contracts at a high frequency during combustion, there is a tendency for cavitation bubbles to form outside the cylinder. When the cavitation bubbles collapse they can pit the surface and cause damage. If uncontrolled, the pitting can puncture the cylinder. The only two wheeler I ever used was a bicycle. My knowledge of motor vehicles is negligible. However, I thought that all bike engines are air cooled. There can be no cavitation with them. Are there water cooled bike engines?
• 

  ISHAN TOPRE

  No sir,
  There is no water cooled 2 wheeler engine at present in market. In any 2 wheeler the space is so small that water cooled system cannot be accommodated. All are air cooled.
  
  However, I was unaware of the fact that there is no cavitation in air cooled engines. So forgetting about 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers, let us consider a 6 cylinder engine. We will calculate engine cavitation for once cylinder and then multiply it by 6.
  Is this approach good? but how to calculate cavitation for even one cylinder? For any water cooled engine, is there anything specific that you would like to suggest?
• 

  Ramani Aswath

  ishutopre

  However, I was unaware of the fact that there is no cavitation in air cooled engines. So forgetting about 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers, let us consider a 6 cylinder engine. We will calculate engine cavitation for once cylinder and then multiply it by 6.

  I very much doubt if cavitation can be quantified or even predicted. It has to do with surface roughness, vapour pressure, rigidity of the material, negative pressure transients and their frequencies. Even within one brand of engine some cavitate while others do not depending upon the maintenance.
  Please read these articles on cavitation in diesel engines:
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  If there is anything further that you would like to discuss based on this, please post. The articles also give solutions to avoiding cavitation in diesel engines.