Question 4187 Deck General

The correct answer is A) cavitation. Cavitation is the formation of voids or bubbles in the water on the leading and trailing edges of a propeller blade as it rotates. This occurs when the local pressure around the blade drops below the vapor pressure of the water, causing the water to vaporize and form these bubbles or cavities. As the cavities collapse, they can cause pitting and erosion of the propeller blade surface, as well as vibration, which leads to a loss of propulsive efficiency. The other answer choices are incorrect because edging refers to the sharpening of the propeller blade edges, advance is the forward movement of the vessel, and slip is the difference between the theoretical and actual speed of the propeller.