Cavitation damage of diesel engine cylinder liners is due to vibration of the cylinder wall, initiated by slap of the piston under the combined forces of inertia and firing pressure as it passes top dead center. The occurrence on the anti-thrust side may possibly result from bouncing of the piston. The exact mechanism of cavitation damage is not entirely clear. Two schools of thought have developed, one supporting an essentially erosive, and the other an essentially corrosive, mechanism. Measures to prevent, or reduce, cavitation damage should be considered firstly from the aspect of design, attention being given to methods of reducing the amplitude of the liner vibration. Attempts have been made to reduce the severity of attack by attention to the environment. Inhibitors, such as chromates, benzoate/nitrite mixtures, and emulsified oils, have been tried with varying success. Attempts have been made to reduce or prevent cavitation damage by the application of cathodic protection, and this has been found to be effective in certain instances of trouble on propellers.

A cast iron cylinder liner from a diesel engine suffered localized damage on the cooling water side leading to serration of the edges and heavy pitting. This heavy damage was cavitation damage, frequently observed in diesel motor cylinders. To combat such damage the following measures are recommended in the specialist literature: reduction in piston play; reduction in the amplitude by thicker-walled linings; hard chromizing of the cooling water side; and, addition of a protective oil to the cooling water. The effect of the protective oil is presumably based on a film of oil which forms on the cylinder surface and which is not so easily scoured off during vibration. The effect of the imploding vacuum bubbles is reduced by the oil film which can renew itself from the emulsion.