2023/03/29 by Akihito Kiyama, Sharon Wang, Kiyama, Akihito +3
Engineering · Materials Science · #Cavitation Phenomena in Pumps #FOS: Physical sciences #Fluid Dynamics (physics.flu-dyn) #Ultrasound and Cavitation Phenomena
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2303.16702
openalex publication_date 2023/03/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Cavitation is a phenomenon in which bubbles form and collapse in liquids due to pressure or temperature changes. Even common tools like a rubber popper can be used to create cavitation at home. As a rubber popper toy slams a solid wall underwater, toroidal cavitation forms. As part of this project, we aim to explain how an elastic shell causes cavitation and to describe the bubble morphology. High-speed imaging reveals that a fast fluid flow between a snapping popper and a solid glass reduces the fluid pressure to cavitate. Cavitation occurs on the popper surface in the form of sheet cavitation. Our study uses two-dimensional Rayleigh-Plesset equations and the energy balance to capture the relationship between the bubble lifetime and the popper deformability. The initial distance between the popper and the wall is an important parameter for determining the cavitation dynamics. Presented results provide a deeper understanding of cavitation mechanics, which involves the interaction between fluid and elastic structure.