Hydraulic restrictors are being widely used in hydraulic systems and hydraulic components, with many cavitation studies on various restrictors being performed. However, the effect of the downstream duct behind the restrictor for the cavitation characteristic was not studied.
At the beginning of this paper, the cavitation tests in single-stage restrictors, when the diameter of the downstream duct is small, are investigated. As a result, the following facts are revealed.
When the diameter of the downstream duct is smaller, the critical outlet pressure for cavitation on the restrictor is higher. The relationship between the pressure difference, which is defined by the pressures measured at the corner tap, and the flow rate does not change independently of the diameter of the downstream duct. The measured pressure recovery in the downstream duct agrees with the theoretically predicted value.
In the latter part of this paper, the cavitation and the flow characteristics in the two-stage restrictor, in which an upstream orifice and a downstream round edged choke are connected with a small diameter duct, are investigated.
When the diameter of the duct between the upstream and downstream restrictor is smaller, the cavitation on the upstream restrictor occurs at higher outlet pressure of upstream restrictor, furthermore the cavitation on the downstream restrictor occurs at higher outlet pressure of downstream restrictor. The influence of the distance between the upstream and downstream restrictor on the pressure-flow characteristic is different according to the diameter of the duct between the both restrictors.
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