Particle propulsion from attached acoustic cavitation bubble under strong ultrasonic wave excitation

Abstract

Particle propulsion by an attached acoustic cavitation bubble under strong ultrasonic wave excitation occupies the core of many applications, including ultrasonic cleaning, ultrasonography, targeted therapy, and microbubble motors. However, the driving capacity and mode of bubbles in the field of ultrasonics are far from being well understood, which severely limits its applicability in a variety of fields. In this study, a fluid–structure interaction model based on the boundary integral method is proposed to simulate complex interactions between a suspended spherical particle and an attached cavitation bubble. A one-to-one comparison between the numerical results and experimental data demonstrates the distinct advantage of our model over conventional approaches. Thereafter, we systematically investigate the dependence of bubble–particle interactions on the governing parameters, including the amplitude and phase of the ultrasonic wave, particle density, and particle-to-bubble size ratio. We also document different types of bubble dynamic behaviors under various governing parameters. Finally, we obtain scaling laws for the maximum displacement of the particle with respect to the governing parameters.