S. P. Wang

Experimental study on the interaction between bubble and free surface using a high-voltage spark generator

The experimental studies presented in this paper attempt to supply a reasonable comprehensive explanation for the key feature of the collapse bubble and the complex nature of the raised free surface. Six distinctive patterns of free surface motion were identified for bubbles initiated at different γf (the non-dimensional bubble-free surface distance scaled with the maximum bubble radius). Special features such as “breaking wrinkles,” “spraying water film,” and other unstable phenomena were observed with free surface motions, which were hardly captured by a boundary integral scheme. Parameters defining the shape of the free surface, such as the spike height Hspike, the spike width Wbase, and the skirt height Hspray, are measured and analyzed against γf. Different voltages were used to generate bubbles with varies sizes, while the bubble and free surface motion patterns appeared to be largely independent of the bubble size. Finally, collapsing bubble shape, centroid migration, period of bubble oscillation, ...

Small-charge underwater explosion bubble experiments under various boundary conditions

Small-charge underwater explosion experiments were performed to investigate bubbles subjected to gravity and various boundary conditions, including single boundary (free surface and rigid wall boundary), combined boundaries of free surface and solid wall, solid wall boundaries with a circular opening, and resilient wall boundaries. With high speed camera and pressure sensors, the behavior of explosion bubbles was studied and features of associated pressure pulses were analyzed. Detailed image analysis on the final stages of bubble collapse was carried out and revealed a possible explanation for the weakening of pressure waves at bubble rebound as the bubble approaches a wall boundary. Certain features also indicate that the magnitude of the pressure peaks induced by bubble rebound is related to the shape of the bubble shape during collapse. Pressure pulses arising from the two types of bubble behavior, specifically the collision of an annular jet and the impact of a jet with the wall boundary, were measur...

The motion of a 3D toroidal bubble and its interaction with a free surface near an inclined boundary

The numerical modelling of 3D toroidal bubble dynamics is a challenging problem due to the complex topological transition of the flow domain, and physical and numerical instabilities, associated with jet penetration through the bubble. In this paper, this phenomenon is modelled using the boundary integral method (BIM) coupled with a vortex ring model. We implement a new impact model consisting of the refined local mesh near the impact location immediately before and after impact, and a surgical cut at a high resolution forming a smooth hole for the transition from a singly connected to doubly connected form. This enables a smooth transition from a singly connected bubble to a toroidal bubble. The potential due to a vortex ring is reduced to the line integral along the vortex ring. A new mesh density control technique is described to update the bubble and free surfaces, which provides a high mesh quality of the surfaces with the mesh density in terms of the curvature distribution of the surface. The pressu...

Interaction between bubble and air-backed plate with circular hole

This paper investigates the nonlinear interaction between a violent bubble and an air-backed plate with a circular hole. A numerical model is established using the incompressible potential theory coupled with the boundary integral method. A double-node technique is used to solve the overdetermined problem caused by the intersection between the solid wall and the free surface. A spark-generated bubble near the air-backed plate with a circular hole is observed experimentally using a high-speed camera. Our numerical results agree well with the experimental results. Both experimental and numerical results show that a multilevel spike emerges during the bubble’s expansion and contraction. Careful numerical simulation reveals that this special type of spike is caused by the discontinuity in the boundary condition. The influences of the hole size and depth on the bubble and spike dynamics are also analyzed.

Experimental study on interaction and coalescence of synchronized multiple bubbles

Experiments are carried out on the interaction and coalescence of two, three, and four bubbles with approximately the same sizes, distributed evenly and symmetrically. The bubbles are generated simultaneously by electric discharges, using an in-house designed series circuit, and their interaction is captured using a high-speed camera. Particular attentions are paid to if/when coalescence of bubbles happens and the motion of the joined bubbles. Some new features are observed, which depend mainly on the dimensionless distance γbb = dbb/Rmax, where dbb is the inter-bubble distance and Rmax is the maximum bubble radius. For γbb > 2, a jet forms and penetrates each side bubble, directed to the center of the configuration, resulting in a protrusion. Towards the end of collapse, a large portion of bubble gases is compressed into the protrusion from the main part of the toroidal bubble. For γbb 2, the jets that form from the side bubbles are towards the middle, and the middle bubble splits into two parts, moving towards the two side bubbles. For γbb < 2, the side bubbles merge with the middle bubble during expansion, forming an ellipsoid bubble; the joined bubble collapses predominantly from two sides, where two inward jets form towards the end of collapse.

Transient interaction between a particle and an attached bubble with an application to cavitation in silt-laden flow

This study aims to elucidate the complex interaction between a suspended particle and an attached bubble, which is associated with cavitation in silt-laden flow. Systematic experiments are performed with high-speed photography, in which bubbles are generated by underwater electric discharge means. The bubble-particle interactions are found to be strongly dependent on two dimensionless parameters, i.e., the particle-bubble size ratio λL and the particle-liquid density ratio λρ. When λρ equals 2.61, the bubble split phenomenon is universally observed and the particle shooting effect (the particle acceleration during bubble expansion and after bubble-particle detachment) becomes more obvious as λL decreases. If λL < ∼0.34, the particle velocity keeps positive (away from the bubble), otherwise the particle velocity drops below zero (toward the bubble) during the bubble collapse phase. As λρ increases, the particle achieves a lower velocity but a higher impulse, and the bubble necking phenomenon is more pronounced. Our boundary integral simulations reproduce the experiments extremely well, including the particle dynamics, the bubble wrapping the particle, the bubble necking and detachment, and the mushroom-shaped bubble. After the bubble-particle detachment, the liquid around the detachment location is drawn inward and collides on the axis of symmetry, leading to the formation of a localized high pressure region between the bubble and the particle, which accelerates the particle for the second time even in the bubble collapse phase.This study aims to elucidate the complex interaction between a suspended particle and an attached bubble, which is associated with cavitation in silt-laden flow. Systematic experiments are performed with high-speed photography, in which bubbles are generated by underwater electric discharge means. The bubble-particle interactions are found to be strongly dependent on two dimensionless parameters, i.e., the particle-bubble size ratio λL and the particle-liquid density ratio λρ. When λρ equals 2.61, the bubble split phenomenon is universally observed and the particle shooting effect (the particle acceleration during bubble expansion and after bubble-particle detachment) becomes more obvious as λL decreases. If λL < ∼0.34, the particle velocity keeps positive (away from the bubble), otherwise the particle velocity drops below zero (toward the bubble) during the bubble collapse phase. As λρ increases, the particle achieves a lower velocity but a higher impulse, and the bubble necking phenomenon is more pronou...

Dynamic characteristics of large scale spark bubbles close to different boundaries

Experiments on the pulsation of the high-voltage electrical-spark bubbles near different boundaries are conducted by means of high-speed photography. Some intriguing details are observed clearly, such as the formation of the jet (especially the contact jet formed when a bubble is quite close to the rigid boundary) and bubble splitting. The variation of the maximum radius of the bubble, bubble period, jet tip velocity, and bubble center migration is investigated with the presence of different boundaries. In the study of the bubble period, two fitting curves are obtained from the data by the author and previous references; one is for the bubble generated beneath the free surface and the other is for the bubble generated above the rigid boundary. In the study of the maximum jet tip velocity, a possible trend line is proposed to describe the variation of the jet tip velocity with γb (the non-dimensional standoff distance from the bubble center to the rigid boundary). Finally, the critical value of γb is studi...

Acoustic bubble dynamics in a microvessel surrounded by elastic material

This paper is concerned with microbubble dynamics in a blood vessel surrounded by elastic tissue subject to ultrasound, which are associated with important applications in medical ultrasonics. Both the blood flow inside the vessel and the tissue flow external to the vessel are modeled using the potential flow theory coupled with the boundary element method. The elasticity of tissue is modeled through the inclusion of a pressure term in the dynamic boundary condition at the interface between the two fluids. Weakly viscous effects are considered using viscous potential flow theory. The numerical model is validated by comparison with the theoretical results of the Rayleigh-Plesset equation for spherical bubbles, the numerical results for acoustic bubbles in an unbounded flow, and the experimental images for a spark generated bubble in a rigid circular cylinder. Numerical analyses are then performed for the bubble oscillation, jet formation and penetration through the bubble, and the deformation of the vessel...