  The flow-induced vibration and cavitation dynamics of three-dimensional flow
past a cantilever flexible hydrofoil are investigated using a large eddy
simulation (LES) model, a homogeneous mixture cavitation model and the
structural modes superposition method. The present work aims to explore a
potential mechanism responsible for a propeller singing behavior, and thus
focuses on the synchronized hydroelastic coupling among the pressure pulsation
inside the flow field, the cavitation generation and the structural vibration.
To begin, we validate the tip vortex dynamics of a flexible hydrofoil against
the available experimental. Our results demonstrate that the tip vortex
shedding and the blade vibration are responsible for the intense peak in the
low-frequency tonal components of the noise source, and the trailing-edge
vortex shedding induces broadband components. Additionally, the generation of
sheet cavitation induces considerable synchronized hydrofoil vibration
(subjected to a flutter-like response), and affects the pressure fluctuations
in the flow field, which further dominate the features of the underwater noise
sources. It is suggested that the cavitation behavior and structural vibrations
co-dominate the characteristics of singing noise from a propeller blade.
