This is my first experiment dealing with supercavitation using a home built test pool setup in the garage.
UPDATE: Hi everyone! Connor here. It's been quite a while since I posted this video, and I haven't been very active in responding to questions. I wanted to say thank you all so much for the support! It's very rewarding to see others sharing in the excitement and passion that I have for this kind of work.
Also, I think I owe everyone a quick update on where I'm at, since it's been a couple years since I posted this video.
The year after I completed these supercavitation experiments, I decided to do another project which did not pertain directly to supercavitation, but dealt with the effects of various surface textures of objects on the drag that they experience underwater. I refined my measurement apparatus, opting for a more precise electronic scale to measure force, updating the arm to accurately control the depth of the probe, and making several other modifications. I won't go into too much detail here, but the results showed that nonconventional surface textures like the dimpling on a golf ball can reduce hydrodynamic drag, but this effect was only observed for a fairly narrow range of speeds which satisfied the Reynolds number range for which this benefit is predicted theoretically. However, I'm excited to do further research into this in the future, as I think that greater improvements may be possible through the more sophisticated use of complex surface textures in specific regions of underwater bodies, as a tool for controlling boundary layer flow.
As for supercavitation, I fully intend to continue my research in this area in the future and I think there is a lot of potential for innovation in the field, however for the past year or so I've been unable to dedicate as much time to research as I would have liked.
Additionally, I'm now studying at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I will major in Mechanical Engineering, and I've joined the Human-Powered-Submarine Team. If you've never heard of a Human-Powered-Sub team, look into it. It's a bit of a quirky engineering competition, but a fun way for me to continue exploring my interest, I'm currently designing the control surfaces for this year's submarine and programming the control algorithm for our variable-pitch propeller. I'll consider posting some videos about the sub at some point in the future.
