THE ART, CRAFT AND SCIENCE OF MODELING JET IMPACT IN A COLLAPSING CAVITATION BUBBLE

One of the key characteristics of the asymmetric collapse of a cavitat ion bubble near a rigid boundary is the development of a high speed li quid jet that penetrates the interior of the bubble, impacting on the other side to yield a toroidal bubble. After the formation of the toro idal bubble, a vigorous splash may occur that can lead to pressures on the boundary an order of magnitude greater than the impact pressures associated with the jet. Qualitative agreement with available experime ntal data is found although, as the bubble approaches minimum volume, shock waves are also observed which further complicate our full unders tanding of the mechanisms for damage.