Measurements within unsteady cavitation

A current method used to characterize the phase distribution within gas (or vapor)/liquid two-phase flows consists of using local probes. Two sensors placed in series enable void fraction, velocity, and chord length measurements. The choice of the data treatment method depends strongly on the unsteady behavior of the flow: the higher the velocity fluctuations, the more complex and time consuming the data treatments. Three different methods have been developed to study various cavitating flow conditions. They have been applied to characterize two-phase flows within sheet cavities using a double optical probe. Received: 8 October 1999/Accepted: 29 December 1999