Jet and Shock Wave from Collapse of Two Cavitation Bubbles

Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 4;9(1):1352. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37868-x.

Abstract

As a common hydrodynamic phenomenon, multi-cavitation dynamics is widely found in many industries such as hydraulic engineering, shipping industry and chemical industry. The jet and shock wave phenomenon in the interaction of two cavitation bubbles are the basis of multi-cavitation bubbles interaction research. By respectively inducing two cavitation bubbles through laser and underwater low-voltage discharge, this paper tested the jet and shock wave resulting from the collapse of the two cavitation bubbles, and the following conclusions are obtained: (1) If the two cavitation bubbles are synchronously generated but in different size, as the distance between the two cavitation bubbles increases or the maximum radius of the smaller cavitation bubble increases, the effect of the small cavitation bubble on the larger one gradually changes from the surface wave phenomenon to jet that breaks through the larger bubble. When the two bubble center lines are parallel to the wall surface, this jet suppresses the formation of the jet to the wall surface when the large cavitation bubble collapses; if the two cavitation bubbles are generated at the same time with same size, as the initial distance of the two cavitation bubbles gradually decreases, the two bubbles are more likely to form a face-to-face collapse, and the smaller the distance between the two, the easier it is to fuse. (2) The impact of the initial moment of the cavitation bubble on the structure of the collapse shock wave is as follows: for two bubbles of different sizes formed synchronously, the shock wave propagates to the periphery in the form of a number of consecutive waves appearing in the larger bubble, while for the unsynchronized ones, shock waves appeared in both cavitation collapses, and a number of consecutive waves appear in the late-formed cavitation bubble. And multiple consecutive shock waves may overlap in some areas of the space. These conclusions have obvious implications for preventing cavitation damage and utilization of cavitation.