Direction of the microjet produced by the collapse of a cavitation bubble located in a corner of a wall and a free surface

Abstract

In this paper, we present a simplified theoretical model based on the method of images that predicts the direction of the microjet produced after the implosion of a cavitation bubble created in a corner of a free interface and rigid wall. Our theoretical predictions have been verified by means of a thorough experimental study in which the distances of the pulsed-laser cavitation bubble to the wall and the free surface are varied in a systematic manner. In addition, we extend the predictions to arbitrary values of the corner angle, pi/(2n) with n a natural number. The present analytical solution might be a hint to a practical design for preventing cavitation-induced damage.