Behavior of a solid sphere launched vertically upwards in water and its interaction with the air–water interface

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in which a solid sphere with a density of 1,875 kg/m3 and diameter of 24.8 mm was launched vertically upwards in water towards the air–water interface. By changing the Reynolds number, Re, based on the launch velocity, the motion of the sphere due to interference with the air–water interface was investigated along with the behavior of the interface. The experimental results of the sphere’s vertical position in water agree with the theoretical values. However, in air, the experimental results gave lower vertical positions than the theoretical values. When the Reynolds number where the sphere reaches the air–water interface is Rew1¯=0.2×103, the vertical trajectory of the sphere branches above and below the ensemble average immediately after passing the air–water interface. This difference in bifurcation does not depend on the Reynolds number in water. However, no branching occurs when Rew1¯ is large. There is an inverse relationship between the asymmetry of the air–water interface that occurs when the sphere passes through the interface and the sphere’s maximum displacement. It was shown that the energy loss of the sphere and the asymmetry of the air–water interface have a linear relationship in all cases with different Reynolds numbers. This means that there is a invariant relationship between the energy lost by the sphere passing through the air–water interface and the asymmetry of the interface.