Bubble oscillations and motion under vibration

Abstract

Bubbles under vibration can behave in unusual ways, e.g., moving downward against the force of buoyancy. While the bubble downward motion due to the Bjerknes force is well known at acoustic frequencies close to the bubble resonant frequency, these experiments demonstrate that these effects can be observed at relatively low frequencies as well. Experiments were performed in a thin, quasi-two-dimensional rectangular acrylic box partially filled with 20-cSt PDMS silicone oil with overlying ambient air. The apparatus was subjected to sinusoidal axial vibration that produced breakup of the gas-liquid free surface, producing liquid jets into the air, droplets pinching off from these jets, gas cavities in the liquid from impacts of these droplets, and bubble transport below the interface. Vibration conditions for the attached videos are 280 Hz frequency, 15 g acceleration, and 94 micron peak-to-peak displacement. Behaviors shown in the videos include the following. 1. Free surface breakup into jets and droplets, and formation of bubbles under the free surface. 2. Bubbles thus generated moving downward in the cell. 3. Bubbles attracted to the first bubble deep in the cell and eventually merging to form a large bubble at the base of the cell. 4. Bubble cluster at the base of the cell merging to form a larger bubble, which stabilizes at a levitated location below the free surface and acts to damp out the surface breakup. 5. The levitated bubble interface and its breakup are similar to the free surface breakup into jets and droplets, but the jets in the bubble are facing downward. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.