The Dynamics of Small Transient Cavities

Experimental methods have been developed for creating and observing single spherical cavities in water and certain organic liquids Rapid photography permits motion analysis to be made The cavities show several cycles of expansion and collapse during their lifetime of a few milliseconds At each volume minimum a sharp pressure maximum occurs in the liquid It appears that these cavities form initially on minute gas nuclei in the liquids, and the existence of these nuclei is essential for the type of cavitation studied The relation of cavity life to maximum diameter is discussed.