Short-time cavitation erosion of concrete

The paper reviews the results of preliminary investigations into concrete specimens subjected to short-time cavitation at exposure times between 2 and 10 s. It is found that short-time cavitation erosion produces measurable mass loss and could therefore directly contribute to waterjet hydrodemolition processes. A very short exposure time (2 s) is still sufficient enough to modify the concrete surface profile. The materialʹs behaviour during cavitation significantly depends on its capability to transfer local stresses and to locally deform. High stiffness and brittleness promote transgranular fracture.