Behaviors of cavitation bubbles driven by high-intensity ultrasound

Abstract

In a multi-bubble system, the bubble behavior is modulated by the primary acoustic field and the secondary acoustic field. To explore the translational motion of bubbles in cavitation liquids containing high-concentration cavitation nuclei, evolutions of bubbles are recorded by a high-speed camera, and translational trajectories of several representative bubbles are traced. It is found that translational motion of bubbles is always accompanied by the fragmentation and coalescence of bubbles, and for bubbles smaller than 10 μm, the possibility of bubble coalescence is enhanced when the spacing of bubbles is less than 30 μm. The measured signals and their spectra show the presence of strong negative pressure, broadband noise, and various harmonics, which implies that multiple interactions of bubbles appear in the region of high-intensity cavitation. Due to the strong coupling effect, the interaction between bubbles is random. A simplified triple-bubble model is developed to explore the interaction patterns of bubbles affected by the surrounding bubbles. Patterns of bubble interaction, such as attraction, repulsion, stable spacing, and rebound of bubbles, can be predicted by the theoretical analysis, and the obtained results are in good agreement with experimental observations. Mass exchange between the liquid and bubbles as well as absorption in the cavitation nuclei also plays an important role in multi-bubble cavitation, which may account for the weakening of the radial oscillations of bubbles.