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Transient interactions between bubbles and a high-speed cylinder in underwater launches: An experimental and numerical study

  • Special Column on the 4th National Symposium on Cavitation Flows (NSCF-2022) (Guest Editor Ben-Long Wang)
  • Published:
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Abstract

The underwater launch of high-speed vehicles involves complex bubble-structure interactions, which are not currently well understood. In this study, two small-scale experiments are carried out involving transient bubble-cylinder interactions. We adopt the underwater electric discharge method to generate a high-pressure bubble that drives a cylinder to a maximum velocity of ∼25 m/s within 1 ms. A tail bubble forms as the cylinder is ejected from the launch tube. Moreover, we observe a shoulder cavity around the head of the cylinder due to the pressure reduction in the flow. To better understand the complex interaction between bubbles and the high-speed cylinder, we use the boundary element method to establish a bubble—structure interaction model. Our numerical model reproduces the experimental observations quite well, including the cylinder motion and the transient evolution of the bubbles. Thereafter, a systematic study is carried out to reveal the dependence of the bubble-cylinder interactions on the initial pressure of the tail bubble p0. We obtain a scaling law for the maximum velocity of the cylinder vm with respect to p0, namely, vm ∝ p00.45. The findings from this study may provide a reference for subsequent research into underwater launches.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, China (Grant No. YQ2022E017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Shipbuilding Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, China

    Sai Zhang, Qi-Hang Chen, Chang Liu, A-Man Zhang & Shuai Li

Authors
  1. Sai Zhang
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  2. Qi-Hang Chen
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  3. Chang Liu
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  4. A-Man Zhang
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  5. Shuai Li
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Correspondence to Shuai Li.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Project supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFC2803500), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52088102).

Biography: Sai Zhang (1998-), Female, Master Candidate

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Zhang, S., Chen, QH., Liu, C. et al. Transient interactions between bubbles and a high-speed cylinder in underwater launches: An experimental and numerical study. J Hydrodyn 35, 36–45 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-023-0003-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42241-023-0003-5

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