Cavitation Inception on Microparticles: A Self-Propelled Particle Accelerator

Corrugated, hydrophilic particles with diameters between 30 and 150 mum are found to cause cavitation inception at their surfaces when they are exposed to a short, intensive tensile stress wave. The growing cavity accelerates the particle into translatory motion until the tensile stress decreases, and subsequently the particle separates from the cavity.

The cavity growth and particle detachment are modeled by considering the momentum of the particle and the displaced liquid. The analysis suggests that all particles which cause cavitation are accelerated into translatory motion, and separate from the cavities they themselves nucleate. Thus, in the research of cavitation nuclei the link is established between developed cavitation bubbles and their origin.