Generation and control of acoustic cavitation structure

• The generation and control of five typical cavitation structures in a ultrasonic field are investigated.
• Cavitation bubbles tend to move along the direction of pressure drop in the region in front of radiating surface.
• The nuclei source of cavitation structures is analyzed.
• The relationship and mutual transformation of cavitation structures are discussed.

The generation and control of acoustic cavitation structure are a prerequisite for application of cavitation in the field of ultrasonic sonochemistry and ultrasonic cleaning. The generation and control of several typical acoustic cavitation structures (conical bubble structure, smoker, acoustic Lichtenberg figure, tailing bubble structure, jet-induced bubble structures) in a 20–50 kHz ultrasonic field are investigated. Cavitation bubbles tend to move along the direction of pressure drop in the region in front of radiating surface, which are the premise and the foundation of some strong acoustic cavitation structure formation. The nuclei source of above-mentioned acoustic cavitation structures is analyzed. The relationship and mutual transformation of these acoustic cavitation structures are discussed.