Observations of the dynamics and acoustics of travelling bubble cavitation

Abstract

Individual travelling cavitation bubbles generated on two axisymmetric headforms were detected using a surface electrode probe. The growth and collapse of the bubbles were studied photographically, and these observations are related to the pressure fields and viscous flow patterns associated with each headform. Measurements of the acoustic impulse generated by the bubble collapse are analysed and found to correlate with the maximum volume of the bubble for each headform. These results are compared to the observed bubble dynamics and numerical solutions of the Rayleigh–Plesset equation. Finally, the cavitation nuclei flux was measured and predicted cavitation event rates and bubble maximum size distributions are compared with the measurements of these quantities.