Numerical simulation of a laser-induced cavitation bubble near a solid boundary considering phase change

ABSTRACT This paper documents the numerical investigation of the flow surrounding a collapsing laser-induced cavitation bubble with an initial radius of 1.45 mm. The three-dimensional laminar flow was captured by solving the Navier–Stokes equations. To account for the multiphase flow (water and vapour), the Volume of Fluid (VoF) method was used. The source term of the transport equation of the VoF function was based on the simplified Rayleigh–Plesset equation. The distance of the bubble from a solid surface wall was varied according to the dimensionless parameter D/Rmax ranging from 0.3 to 3.0, where Rmax is maximum bubble radius and D is the distance between bubble centre and solid surface. Computed collapse derivatives, impact velocity, impact pressure, and visual characteristics, such as toroidal shapes of oval impacts, agreed favourably to experimental measurements.