The Use of a Photoelastic Method to Study the Effects of Bubble Collapse on Surfaces

Abstract

A photoelastic technique using two laser beams and high acquisition rate (20 MHz) has been used to investigate the dynamics of a single bubble in a fluid at rest. The bubbles are spark-generated in the vicinity of a photoelastic wall. The influence of liquid pressure, proximity of the wall and the bubble life-time on the collapse intensity is examined. The results obtained are compared qualitatively with the measurements of pressure obtained by Shima and Tomita for the liquid at atmospheric pressure.