Mechanisms of impulsive pressure generation and damage pit formation by bubble collapse

A detailed experimental study has been made to clarify the mechanism of impulsive pressure generation from a single bubble collapsing in a static fluid – this is the most essential and important research task concerned with cavitation damage. First, the general feature of impulsive pressure generation is discussed, and then the impulsive pressure directly contributing to damage is investigated by various means. As a result, it is found that the impulsive pressure causing plastic deformation of material is closely related, directly or indirectly, to the behaviour of a liquid jet. Further more, it is demonstrated that the interaction of a tiny bubble with a shock wave or a pressure wave must be an important effect in producing a local high pressure which causes damage to material. The damage pit caused by the bubble-shock-wave interaction essentially results from the impact pressure from a liquid microjet.