Cavitation on Wet Cylinder Liners of Heavy Duty Diesel Engines

Cavitation of wet cylinder liners in heavy duty diesel engines can cause considerable damage. Under specific conditions in fast-running diesel engines, cylinder liner excitation can lead to high local vibration velocities resulting in high pressure changes in the coolant. As the coolant falls below the vapor pressure, cavitation may result.

In this paper the fundamental physical phenomenon, the measuring method to detect cavitation, measurement results and methods of resolution will be presented. The physical phenomenon describes the behavior of cavitation bubbles near solid material surfaces. The measuring method to detect cavitation is based on the evaluation of the dynamic coolant pressure. Measurement results and methods of resolution will be illustrated for different parameters.