Originally Posted by
Chuck Glider
No.
I believe vihai is correct in asserting that cavitation only occurs in liquids, specifically incompressible liquids, like water, so cavitation is a factor with marine propellers but not aircraft propellers.
As with any propeller there are pressure differences around a propeller in water. AIUI when the local pressure drops significantly the water changes state explosively (implosively?) with a release of energy creating micro cavities in the liquid. When the pressure relaxes the water changes state again back to liquid equally implosively. That energy release causes erosion to the propeller, but the cavitation happens in the liquid. Erosion of the propeller is not the cavitation, it's the result of cavitation.
You are familiar with Bernoulli's Law?
If not, it is the equation that explains lift, of both wings and propeller blades.
One of the factors of this equation is
fluid density.
Because under about 260 kts, "
air behaves no differently from water and is considered an incompressible fluid."(Modern Airmanship, Van Sickle)