Single-Bubble Cavitation-Induced Pitting on Technical Alloys

Repeated single cavitation bubble experiments were performed primarily on 316L stainless steel, and some on nickel–aluminum–bronze (NAB) and pure aluminum. The bubble dynamics were recorded with two high-speed cameras and correlated with surface images, also acquired in situ. These experiments were performed for a range of stand-off distances γ (the ratio of the distance of the solid surface from the bubble to the bubble’s maximum radius) from 0.3 to 2.15. For all stand-off distances, single pits were the only surface change detected at the beginning of damage formation. Later phases of the collapse are not axisymmetric but show regions of “stronger” collapse, and the pits occur on the material underneath those regions. For γ < 0.4, the damage is attributed to the second collapse. For γ > 0.4, the first bubble collapse is most likely responsible for pitting. Shock-wave emission was detected from the collapse regions that were linked to the damage. On 316L, the pitting rate was found to be linearly dependent on the bubble radius, indicating a non-zero lower limit for the bubble radius below which pits do not occur. In terms of stand-off distance, the pitting rate (defined here as average pits per bubble) was non-monotonic, with maxima for bubbles initiated closest to the sample (γ = 0.3) and at γ = 1.4.