JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE Colloque C8, supplément au n°ll, Tome 40, novembre 1979, page C8-306

ON THRESHOLDS FOR SURFACE WAVES ON RESONANT BUBBLES

NABERGOJ R., and FRANCESCUTTO A.

Istituto di Fisica dell'Universita di Trieste, 34 127 - Trieste, Italy

Résumé. - Le problème de la stabilité de bulles gazeuses dans un champ sonore a été étudié à l'aide
d'un modèle décrivant le mouvement d'une bulle presque sphérique dans un liquide légèrement visqueux.
L'amplitude du mouvement radial et les seuils d'amplitude de pression pour l'instabilité d'une forme
sphérique ont été obtenu au moyen d'une théorie de résonance paramétrique. La comparaison avec les
résultats expérimentaux pour les bulles en résonance apparaît comme assez satisfaisante.

Abstract. - The problem of the stability of gas bubbles in a sound field has been investigated using
a model for the motion of a nearly spherical bubble in a slightly viscous liquid. The radial motion
amplitude and the pressure amplitude thresholds for the instability of the spherical shape have been
obtained by the theory of parametric resonance. The comparison with available experimental data for
resonant bubbles appears to be rather satisfactory.

1. Introduction. - The mechanism of acoustic cavi-
tation is closely influenced by the behavior of gas
bubbles in the liquid. In real situations, a pulsa-
ting bubble does not maintain the spherical shape,
due to the onset of surface waves at a particular
threshold. When the amplitude of the deformations
is sufficiently high, microbubbles can be generated
at the bubble surface /!/. It appears that certain
combinations > of bubble radius and drinving frequency
are especially effective in bubble formation. This
fact is related to the parametric excitation of sur^
face waves by radial oscillations.
where a (t) are the amplitudes of the surface
deformations and R(t) is the mean radius, obtained
from the Rayleigh-Plesset equation. The behavior of
the surface for |a | « R can be obtained in the
limit of small amplitude oscillations, and in the
linearized theory, the equations describing the
different amplitudes become uncoupled. Insofar as
small viscosity liquids are considered, elsewhere
/8/ we obtained, by using the Lagrangian procedure
with a dissipation function, the equation for the
a 's in the form

The aim of the present work is to obtain the

threshold in terms of the amplitude of the radial
motion or in terms of the corresponding pressure
amplitude of the driving fields. The viscous effects
are directly introduced in the equations of motion
for the non-spherical bubble, and this represents
the main difference from the preceding theories of where p is the density of the liquid, a the sur-
Hsieh-Plesset /2,3/ and Benjamin /4,5/. face tension and u the viscosity. In the exact so-
lution the equation of motion is more involved /9/,
The general theory of the parametric excitation
having an integro-differential structure, except
of surface waves on pulsating gas bubbles is consi-
in the case of negligible boundary layer effects,
dered in Part 2. Simplified formulas of the thresholds
where Eq.l is recovered /10/.
for resonant bubbles are given in Part 3.
By constant radius R(t) = R , that is for sur-
2. Parametric excitation of surface waves. - Let us face oscillations about the equilibrium position,
consider a nearly spherical bubble in an incompres- Eq.l reduces to the equation for a damped harmonic
sible, unbounded liquid of small viscosity. As usual oscillator of natural frequency
/6, 7/, the free surface may be described in terms of
spherical harmonics Y , that is
and damping constant ?
3 n = (n+2l(2n+l)y/pR^ .

Article published online by EDP Sciences and available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1979854

 JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE
I n t h e study o f the surface d i s t o r t i o n s i t i s
expedient t o s e t
where Ri = R(O), so t h a t Eq.1 takes t h e form
with
For understanding surface phenomena i t i s
important t o consider t h e mechanism o f e x c i t a t i o n
o f surface deformations. Clearly, t h e r e s u l t s o f
t h e l i n e a r i z e d approximation cannot be v a l i d f o r
surface o s c i l l a t i o n s o f h i g h ampl itude when t h e
breakup o f t h e bubble takes place. However, f o r
o s c i l l a t i o n s o f small ampl itude, Eq. 1 i s adequate
f o r d e s c r i b i n g several f e a t u r e s o f the motion
and i n p a r t i c u l a r t h e development o f an i n s t a b i l i t y
o f the s p h e r i c a l shape. The surface d i s t o r t i o n s
o f a v i b r a t i n g bubble can, i n p a r t i c u l a r , be para-
m e t r i c a l l y e x c i t e d by t h e r a d i a l pulsations.
For considering t h i s w assume t h a t , due t o
a superimposed acoustic f i e l d , t h e e x t e r n a l pres-
sure o s c i l l a t e s about i t s average s t a t i c value pa
w i t h angular frequency , that is
When t h e acoustic f i e l d i s s u f f i c i e n t l y weak, t h a t
is << 1, t h e r a d i a l o s c i l l a t i o n w i l l be appro-
x i m a t e l y simple harmonic. A l i n e a r i z e d computation
on Rayleigh-Plesset equation then gives
where t h e re1a t i v e p u l s a t i o n ampl itude C=AR/Ro i s
o f the same o r d e r o f magnitude o f q , and 4 is
C8-307
constant phase s h i f t which f o r convenience may be
p u t equal t o zero. By s u b s t i t u t i n g Eq.3 and r e t a i -
n i n g o n l y l i n e a r terms i n C, Eq.1 takes t h e form
o f a Mathieu equation,
where
2
and xn = 3(n+2)dpRo. I t i s w e l l known from t h e
theory o f t h e Mathieu equation t h a t , f o r p a r t i c u -
l a r combinations of the constantsan and the 4,
s o l u t i o n s may have t h e form o f modulated o s c i l l a t i o n s
w i t h amplitude e x p o n e n t i a l l y growing w i t h time.
This behavior i n d i c a t e s t h a t parametric e x c i t a -
t i o n o f surface waves i s possible, g i v i n g r i s e
t o t h e i n s t a b i l i t y o f t h e s p h e r i c a l shape.
L i m i t i n g our a n a l y s i s t o t h e f i r s t i n s t a b i l i t y
zone, a particulh,. s o l u t i o n n f Eq.4 i s given /11/
by
with
and )t(,$, a p e r i o d i c f u n c t i o n subresonant 1/2 t o t h e
freauency o f t h e f o r c i n g f i e l d . We have
t h a t i s t h e a m p l i f i c a t i o n o f t h e surface o s c i l l a -
t i o n s due t o parametric resonance f o l l o w s t h e law
exp (Xn-6,)t , t h e boundary o f t h e i n s t a b i l i t y
zone being given by Xn-~, = 0 .
After s t r a i g h t ,
forward c a l c u l a t i o n s , the p u l s a t i o n ampl itude
t h r e s h o l d f o r the onset o f surface waves i s then
obtained i n t h e form
a
 NABERGOJ R., and a1

I n t h e small v i s c o s i t y approximation 8, <<won i n t h e range 5 x 10'~cm sR06 1.5 x 1 0 - ~ c mf o r

and xn<< w , SO t h a t a s i m p l i f i e d expression f o r bubbles i n water d r i v e n a t resonance. For compa-

-
on
Ct can be obtained. For the subresonance region, r i s o n we show a l s o t h e experimental data o f Hullin
where w 2won, by r e t a i n i n g t h e l e a d i n g terms, i t /12/. The agreement between t h e o r y and experiment
results i s quite satisfactory.

The dashed l i n e j o i n i n g t h e minima c o u l d be

F o r t h e 1i n e a r bubble o s c i l l a t i o n s , t h e pres-
sure amplitude can be e a s i l y expressed i n terms
o f t h e p u l s a t i o n amplitude. The r e l a t i v e pressure
amp1i t u d e t h r e s h o l d i s then given by
assumed as the " e f f e c t i v e " threshold, t h e i n s t a b i -
l i t y r e g i o n covers t h e upper p a r t o f t h e plane.
This threshold Goi s suggested by t h e f a c t t h a t
i n t h e r e g i o n between t h e minima o f subharmonic
resonance t h e r e w i l l presumably appear o t h e r minima,
corresponding t o zones o f i n s t a b i l i t y , which can
n o t be taken i n t o account i n t h i s f i r s t o r d e r ana-
l y s i s . A simple approximate formula i s r e a d i l y
obtained from Eq.5 i n t h e l i m i t o f l a r g e values
o f n, namely

where

+ 2 0 ( 3 k - l ) / 3 k p ~ R]'I2
~ i s the

bubble resonance frequency f o r 1i n e a r o s c i l l a t i o n s , with A z 0.25 c.g.s. units.

k t h e p o l y t r o p i c exponent o f t h e gas transformation, I n F i g . 1 we a l s o g i v e a comparison o f t h e

and 8
2
= 2peq/pRo , w i t h p the e f f e c t i v e v i s - present theory w i t h t h a t g i v e n by Hsieh-Plesset
eq eq
c o s i t y o f t,he l i q u i d t a k i n g i n t o account t h e v i s - /2,3/. 1t appears t h a t t h e l a t t e r , based on zero
cous, thermal and r a d i a t i o n e f f e c t s . damping assumption, does n o t a l l o w an e v a l u a t i o n
of an e f f e c t i v e threshold.Moreover, i n t h e consi-
3. Discussion and conclusions. - Fig. 1. shows dered range o f r a d i i t h e Benjamin's t h r e s h o l d /5/,
the curves Cto = Ct(wo) versus t h e r e s t r a d i u s Ro where the viscous e f f e c t s a r e considered r a t h e r
a r t i f i c i a l l y "a p o s t e r i o r i " and n o t d i r e c t l y i n -
troduced by t h e equation o f motion, i s p r a c t i -
c a l l y c o i n c i d e n t w i t h t h e present one.

Fig. 2 shows t h e pressure amplitude t h r e -

shold pto = ntopm versus t h e r e s t r a d i u s Ro r e l a -
t i v e t o several s u r f a c e modes, f o r bubbles i n
water d r i v e n a t resonance. For t h i s e s t i m a t i o n t h e
e f f e c t i v e v i s c o s i t y c o e f f i c i e n t and t h e p o l y t r o p i c
index were taken from Ref. 13. I t appears t h a t
t h e " e f f e c t i v e " pressure t h r e s h o l d f o r l a r g e r a d i i
1 an 1.5~10“ i s given by t h e approximate law

Fig. 1. - P r e d i c t e d r e l a t i v e p u l s a t i o n amplitude
t h r e s h o l d Cto =4R/R versus r e s t r a d i u s R f o r
bubbles i n water d r i g e n a t Lesonance, togeeher w i t h
the " e f f e c t i v e " t h r e s h o l d .,C The t h i n l i n e curves where K ~ 5 c.g.s.
0 units.

r e p r e s e n t t h e t h r e s h o l d according t o Hsieh-Plesset A q u a n t i t a t i v e i n d i c a t i o n g i v e n by Storm /14/

f o r zero v i s c o s i t y . The experimental p o i n t s , r e l a -
t i v e t o standing t a p water, a r e taken from Fig.6b for a bubble Roe 0.5 cm lies one order of
o f Ref. 12. magnJ tude above t h e value g i v e n by t h i s formula.
Many p e r t u r b i n g f a c t o r s c o u l d account f o r t h i s
d i f f e r e n c e . For example, experiments /12/ in
 JOURNAL DE PHYSIQUE

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