Statistical Approach to Ultrasonic Cavitation

Abstract

Sound cavitation is due to nuclei existing in the liquid. When they are created in water, they live for a long time, and therefore their equilibrium concentration is much larger than the number of nuclei created in the time unit. Experimental investigation allows measurement of the number of nuclei present in water as a function of the sound pressure needed for their growth to visibility. The statistical approach to cavitation, through the determination of the distribution functions, gives a deeper insight into the processes involved, such as nucleation by penetrating radiation. It is also possible to explain the discrepancies of values of cavitation threshold found under different experimental conditions.