Prediction of Cavitating Flow Characteristics around Flexible Wings through Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis

Cavitation is one of the main factors negatively affecting underwater ecosystems and ships, and understanding and controlling it is necessary. Flexible propellers made from composite materials have been proposed as a solution to cavitation, and extensive research on this topic continues. This study presents the effects of structural deformations in flexible wings on cavitating flow. Rigid and flexible wings are placed in a cavitation tunnel to predict the cavitating flow around them. Numerical analysis is performed under various cavitation number conditions, and each condition is compared to identify changes in cavitation characteristics due to structural deformations. To ensure the reliability of the study, the results are ultimately validated against experimental data. This research is expected to contribute to the optimization design and development of composite marine propellers