Abstract
The Blake threshold is incorporated in most theoretical models of transient acoustic cavitation. In standard derivations, this threshold is calculated for a bubble having constant surface tension. However, such a bubble is unstable against dissolution and not a realistic model for a cavitation nucleus. In this work, the Blake threshold is calculated for a more realistic nucleus—a bubble having a radius‐dependent surface tension. A relationship is derived for this dependence, based upon the properties of a surfactant‐stabilized cavitation nucleus. Two cases, appropriate for charged and polar surfactants, are examined. The Blake threshold for the former case is identical to that of the standard case by approximately 2%–20% for radii ranging from 3.0 μm down to 0.01 μm. Therefore, it is concluded that both unstabilized and surfactant‐stabilized bubbles become mechanically unstable under essentially the same acoustic conditions. Thus the use of the simpler, unrealistic nucleus in theoretical models results in no serious error. [Work supported by NPS Foundation.]
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