Fluid Mechanics of Bubble Growth and Collapse in a Thermal Ink Jet Printhead

Abstract

A three-dimensional fluid mechanics analysis of a bubble growth and collapse has been carried out for some thermal ink jet printhead geometries. For that purpose, a computer code has been developed which can handle multi-valued free surfaces that arise in such geometries. This paper presents sample results which show how the bubble grows and collapses, and how it differs with geometrical changes.