Bubble Growth in a Viscous Liquid Due to a Transient Pulse

Abstract

The growth of a spherical bubble in a viscous, incompressible fluid due to a transient tension is analyzed. The maximum attainable radius of the bubble is derived. The problem is closely related to the experimental study of cavitation inception by the stress wave technique. The analysis reveals clearly the role played by the viscosity and shows that for liquids of high viscosity the stress wave technique can be employed advantageously to determine the average sizes of the nuclei of cavitation.