Dynamics of a vapour bubble near a thin elastic plate

Abstract

Numerical and experimental results show that during the collapse phase of a vapor bubble near a rigid boundary, in the absence of strong buoyancy forces, a liquid micro jet is developed on the side of the bubble far from the rigid surface and directed towards it. Numerical and experimental results also show that, in the case of a bubble near a free surface, during the collapse phase of the bubble and in the absence of strong buoyancy forces, the vapor bubble is repelled by the free surface. In this case a liquid micro jet is developed on the closest side of the bubble to the free surface and is directed away from it. The dynamic behavior of a vapor bubble near a free surface leads to the idea that a vapor bubble during its growth and collapse phases near a deformable diaphragm may have a behavior similar to its behavior near a free surface. In this paper dynamics of a vapor bubble during its growth and collapse phases near a thin elastic plate is investigated. It has been shown that the growth and collapse of a vapor bubble generated due to a high local energy input causes considerable deformation on the nearby thin elastic plate. Different thin elastic plates with different thicknesses and different flexural rigidities are assumed and the dynamic behavior of a vapor bubble near each of these plates is investigated. Results show that during the growth and collapse of a vapor bubble near a thin elastic plate with a proper thickness and flexural rigidity, in the absence of strong buoyancy forces, a liquid micro jet may develop on the closest side of the bubble to the thin elastic plate and directed away from it.