Experimental investigation on dynamic characteristics and strengthening mechanism of laser-induced cavitation bubbles

The dynamic features of nanosecond laser-induced cavitation bubbles near the light alloy boundary were investigated with the high-speed photography. The shock-waves and the dynamic characteristics of the cavitation bubbles generated by the laser were detected using the hydrophone. The dynamic features and strengthening mechanism of cavitation bubbles were studied. The strengthening mechanisms of cavitation bubble were discussed when the relative distance parameter γ was within the range of 0.5–2.5. It showed that the strengthening mechanisms caused by liquid jet or shock-waves depended on γ much. The research results provided a new strengthening method based on laser-induced cavitation shotless peening (CSP).     

Initiation of a detonation wave by resonant laser radiation in a hydrogen-oxygen mixture flowing about a wedge

The formation of an oblique detonation wave in a supersonic hydrogen-oxygen flow about a planar wedge is considered. It is shown that the excitation of the electronic state b ¹Σ _g ⁺ in oxygen molecules by resonant laser radiation with a wavelength of 762 nm makes it possible to initiate detonation combustion at a distance of ≈1 m from the tip of the wedge at low temperatures (500–600 K). Notably, it suffices to irradiate the gas in the narrow (0.5–1.0 cm across) paraxial region of the flow near the tip of the wedge. It is found that the laser-induced excitation of molecular oxygen is several times more efficient than ordinary heating of the mixture to initiate a detonation wave.     

A comparison of laser ultrasound measurements and finite element simulations for evaluating the elastic properties of tissue mimicking phantoms

Advances in the field of laser ultrasonics have opened up new possibilities in medical applications. This paper presents a finite element modelling technique, which studies laser generated surface acoustic waves in different concentration of soft tissue mimicking agar-agar phantoms. In addition, we propose a novel approach that utilises a low coherence interferometer to detect the laser-induced surface acoustic waves from the tissue mimicking phantoms. A Nd:YAG focused laser line-source is applied to the agar-agar phantoms, which as the same with the FE simulation. The generated SAW signals are detected by a time domain low coherence interferometry system. SAW phase velocity dispersion curves from both of the FE simulation and experiment are calculated. By comparison, we show that the experimental results agree well with those of the FE simulation and theoretical expectations. This study is the first report that a laser-generated SAW phase velocity dispersion technique is applied to soft materials. This technique may open a way for laser ultrasonics to detect the mechanical properties of soft tissues, such as skin.     

A novel hybrid cavitation process for enhancing and altering rate of disinfection by use of natural oils derived from plants

The present study is an attempt to improvise the hydrodynamic cavitation methodology for effective disinfection of water and also to suggest prototype development for practical application. The enhancement in the disinfection efficiency was evaluated specifically for the effect of pressure, temperature, pH, microbial inoculum size and also on effect of different additives for the two model microbial strains, gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus). The efficacy of the hydrodynamic cavitation is evaluated for the two types of flows/cavitation devices – linear flow in the case of orifice and vortex flow for vortex diode. The vortex diode requires significantly lower pressures, 50% lower as compared to orifice for the similar extent of disinfection. While the bacterial disinfection at high temperature is known, the usefulness of hydrodynamic cavitation is especially evident at ambient conditions and the process is effective even at very high concentrations of bacteria, not reported so far. The reactor geometry also has significant effect on the disinfection. The present study, for the first time, reports possible use of different natural oils such as castor oil, cinnamon oil, eucalyptus oil and clove oil in conjunction with hydrodynamic cavitation. The nature of oil modifies the cavitation behavior and an order of magnitude enhancement in the cavitation rate was observed for the two oils, eucalyptus and clove oil for a very small concentration of 0.1%. The increased rates of disinfection, of the order of 2–4 folds, using oil can drastically reduce the time of operation and consequently reduce cost of disinfection. A possible mechanism is proposed for the effect of oil and hydrodynamic cavitation in cell destruction through the rupture of cell wall, oxidative damage and possible DNA denaturation. A cavitation model using per pass disinfection was used to correlate the data. The increased efficiency using oils and possible benefits of the developed process, where natural oils can be perceived as biocatalysts, can have significant advantages in practical applications.     

Cavitating vortex generation by a submerged jet

The surface geometry of a cavitating vortex is determined in the limit of inviscid incompressible flow. The limit surface is an ovaloid of revolution with an axis ratio of 5: 3. It is shown that a cavitating vortex ring cannot develop if the cavitation number is lower than a certain critical value. Experiments conducted at various liquid pressures and several jet exit velocities confirm the existence of a critical cavitation number close to 3. At cavitation numbers higher than the critical one, the cavitating vortex ring does not develop. At substantially lower cavitation numbers (k ? 0.1), an elongated asymmetric cavitation bubble is generated, with an axial reentrant jet whose length can exceed the initial jet length by several times. This flow structure is called an asymmetric cavitating vortex, even though steady motion of this structure has not been observed.     

A micro/nanocasting method for replicating soft micro/nanosurface structures using a dynamic electrical field

We propose a new electric field-induced micro/nanocasting method to replicate soft patterns using micro/nanocasting techniques without pressure. The process uses an alternating current (AC) electrical field and rotation of one electrode, generating a dynamic electrical field that induces electrokinetic flow motion in a dielectric solution (polydimethylsilane, PDMS). We used a lotus leaf as a replication template and characterised the PDMS flow motion to observe the effects of various process parameters (e.g., electrical field strength, rotation speed of an electrode, and electrode shape). The unstable flow motion was significantly dependent on the processing parameters, especially the rotation speed of the electrode. Using the optimised processing conditions, the replication efficiency was about 88%. We believe that this method has potential for fabricating soft micro/nanosized structures.     

粘性液体中激光空泡辐射声波的特性研究

通过PZT水听器对不同粘度粘性液体中激光空泡脉动辐射的声波特性进行了实验,获得了粘性液体中激光泡声波并进行分析.分析结果表明:激光空泡在脉动过程中辐射的声波将受液体粘性影响,粘性系数越大,辐射声波强度越弱,峰值频率呈现增大的趋势.     

Luminescence mechanism of acoustic and laser-induced cavitation

A new approach is proposed for explaining the experimental data on sonoluminescence of acoustic and laser-induced cavitation bubbles. It is suggested that two different sonoluminescence mechanisms, namely, thermal and electric ones, are possible and that they manifest themselves depending on the bubble dynamics. An intense thermal luminescence occurs as a result of compression of an individual stationary spherical bubble; a weak electric luminescence accompanies the deformation and splitting of the bubble when thermal luminescence is suppressed (for example, in the case of multibubble sonoluminescence). It is shown that, when an individual bubble loses its spherical shape under the effect of different actions (change in the acoustic pressure, artificial deformation, translatory motion, etc.) or when a laser-induced bubble undergoes fragmentation, the sonoluminescence spectrum exhibits specific bands that are similar to the bands in the multibubble sonoluminescence spectrum. The appearance of these bands is attributed to the suppression of the thermal sonoluminescence mechanism and the manifestation of the electric mechanism. It is shown that the maximum temperature T _max characterizing the compression of a laser-induced bubble is primarily determined by the temperature of the plasma at the instant of the laser-induced breakdown, whereas, for an acoustic bubble, T _max is primarily determined by the acoustic and hydrostatic pressures and by the saturation vapor pressure of the liquid.     

A feasibility study of temperature rise measurement in a tissue phantom as an alternative way for characterization of the therapeutic high intensity focused ultrasonic field

The feasibility that temperature field measurements in vitro as an alternative way to characterize the high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) field used in therapeutic applications has been explored in a phantom study. Thermocouples (copper-constantan, diameter 0.125 mm) are embedded in a phantom filled with tissue mimicking material that simulates the thermal and acoustic properties of soft-tissue. The temperature rises as a function of ultrasound exposure time near the focus of a HIFU transducer (1.1 MHz, active radius a = 32 mm, geometric focal length = 62 mm) of various acoustic powers up to 30 W are measured and compared with predicted values using a simple nonlinear Gaussian model. The experimental results can be explained well by the model if no acoustic cavitation takes place. When the acoustic power become higher (>5 W) and the local temperature elevation >15 °C and the local temperature is >40 °C at the focal point, cavitation vapor bubbles appear. The presence of the cavitation bubbles may increase the temperature rise rate initially. The bubble aggregates may form along the beam axis under sonication and then eventually makes the temperature elevation reach a saturated value. When acoustic cavitation occurs, the bubble-assisted enhancement of the initial temperature rise (exposure time t < 2 s) can still be predicted by the theory.     

Cavitation in a periodontal pocket by an ultrasonic dental scaler: A numerical investigation

Periodontal pockets are spaces or holes surrounded by teeth under the gum line. These pockets can become filled with infection-causing bacteria resulting in tissue, bone, and tooth loss. Cavitation produced by the oscillating tip of dental ultrasonic scalers plays a significant role in routine periodontal therapy to clean these areas. Numerical studies were conducted for a scaler vibrating in a periodontal pocket which was simplified to a hole, using ABAQUS based on the finite element method. The simulations consider the three-dimensional, nonlinear, and transient interaction between the vibration and deformation of the scaler tip, the water flow around the scaler and the cavitation formation. The numerical model was validated by comparing results with experimental data for a scaler vibrating in an unbounded liquid, the displacement at the free end of the scaler and the cavitation pattern near the scaler tip displaying excellent agreement. A parametric study for a scaler vibrating in a hole has been carried out in terms of the volume of the hole, the taper ratio (the radius ratio between the circular opening and bottom of the hole), and the immersion depth of the scaler tip in the hole. The amount of cavitation generated is evaluated by the cavitation density (or the void fraction) which is the ratio of the volume of the cavitation occupied in the hole to the total volume of the hole. Numerical results indicate that the cavitation density in the hole increases with the decreasing hole volume and the increasing taper ratio. It is inferred that cleaning effects could be increased if some modifications to the scaler design could be made to increase the blocking effect of the hole during the cleaning process. Cavitation is observed in the hole even if the scaler is placed above the hole and increases with the immersion depth.     

Modeling cavitation nucleation from laser-illuminated nanoparticles subjected to acoustic stress

In an earlier work by Farny et al. [ARLO 6, 138-143 (2005).] it was demonstrated that the acoustic cavitation threshold in a tissue mimicking gel phantom can be lowered from 4.5 to ～1 MPa by "seeding" the optically transparent phantom with light absorptive gold nanoparticles and irradiating these absorbers with nanosecond pulses of laser light at intensities less than 10 mJ/cm(2). As a follow-up study, a three-stage numerical model was developed to account for prenucleation heating, the nucleation and formation of the vapor cavity, and the resulting vapor bubble dynamics. Through examination of the radius-time evolution of the cavity, the combined thresholds for laser radiant exposure and acoustic peak pressure required to induce inertial cavitation are deduced. It is found that the threshold pressure decreases when laser exposure increases; but the rate depends on exposure levels and the size of the particle. Investigations of the roles of particle size and laser pulse length are performed and optimum choices for these parameters determined in order to obtain inertial cavitation at the lowest possible acoustic pressure and laser intensity.     

激光空泡刚性半球面内运动

采用甚高速照相技术与建立激光空泡在刚性半球壁面内的运动模型相结合的方法,确定了激光空泡在刚性半球面壁内的运动特性与无量纲距离的关系,提出了最佳无量纲距离概念。结果表明:半球反射面的半径与激光空泡最大半径之比小于1.1时,激光空泡在第1次膨胀时就会产生严重的变形并弹出半球面,并产生空化泡和空蚀,它们均会严重影响激光声的传播。该比值在1.1~3.3时,激光空泡将在第3次收缩之前接触半球面,容易对壁面造成空蚀。在该比值大于3.3的情况下,激光空泡在第3次收缩之前不会接触半球面,对激光声的传播和反射特性影响较小。如果考虑把空泡第1次溃灭时产生的激光声的声学中心控制在击穿点时,需要把该比值控制在5以上。     

Extraction of tungsten from scheelite using hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of hydrodynamic and acoustic cavitation (HAC) on the leaching efficiency of tungsten. The aim is to reduce energy use and to improve the recovery rate. The goal is also to carry out a leaching process at a much lower temperature than in an autoclave process that is currently used in the industry. Energy-efficient initiation and collapse of cavitation bubbles require optimization of (i) vibro-acoustic response of the reactor structure, (ii) multiple excitation frequencies adapted to the optimized reactor geometry, and (iii) hydrodynamic cavitation with respect to orifice geometry and flow conditions. The objective is to modify and apply a previously in house developed high power cavitation reactor in order to recover tungsten by leaching of the dissolution of scheelite in sodium hydroxide. In this process, various experimental conditions like dual-frequency excitation, different orifice geometry have been investigated. The numerically optimized reactor concept was excited by two frequencies 23 kHz and 39–43 kHz in various flow conditions. The effects of leaching time, leaching temperature, ultrasonic power and geometry of orifice plates have been studied. The leaching temperature was varied from 40 °C to 80 °C. The concentration of leaching reagent sodium hydroxide (NaOH) was 10 mol/L.The results were compared to conventional chemical leaching. Energy supplement with acoustic cavitation of 130 kWh/kg concentrate resulted in a leaching recovery of tungsten (WO₃) of 71.5%, compared to 36.7% obtained in absence of ultrasound. The results confirm that the method developed is energy efficient and gives a recovery rate potentially better than current autoclave technology.     

Considering agitation in ultrasonic electroplating through observation of cavitation

Ultrasonic electroplating produces various effects, including refinement of the plating film structure, by generating localized agitation through cavitation bubbles. However, details of the agitation mechanism have not been clarified because ultrasonic cavitation is very small in scale and occurs rapidly, and its reproducibility is low. Therefore, using laser-induced cavitation, which can generate cavitation similar to ultrasonic waves with high reproducibility, the author attempted to elucidate the conditions and frequency of cavitation generation that affect the agitation phenomenon in ultrasonic electroplating. By controlling the laser irradiation position, three different cavitation conditions were established, and the microstructures of the plated films produced were compared. Microstructural refinement was the most advanced under the condition of microjet generation. The frequency of cavitation generation at any position in the ultrasonic electroplating was estimated to be < 1 Hz.     

In-situ SEM observations of ultrasonic cavitation erosion behavior of HVOF-sprayed coatings

Several typical high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF)-sprayed coatings, including WC-10Co4Cr coatings, Co-based coatings, WC-10Co4Cr/Co-based composite coatings, and Fe-based amorphous/nanocrystalline coatings were fabricated, and their cavitation behavior was evaluated in deionized water. Further, in-situ SEM surface observations were used to understand the microstructure of tested coatings. The results show that cavitation erosion initially occurred at pre-existing defects in the coatings. Meanwhile, it was found that cavitation erosion damage of the WC-10Co4Cr/Co-based composite coating, which contained a hard reinforcing phase (WC-10Co4Cr phase) and a soft matrix phase (Co-based phase), preferentially occurred at or around pores and microcracks in the reinforcement, rather than in the defect free matrix. This suggested that defects were a critical contributing factor to cavitation damage of the composite coatings. Furthermore, a mechanism was suggested to explicate the cavitation behavior of composite coatings. The approach of using in-situ SEM surface observations proved to be useful for the analysis of the cavitation mechanism of engineering materials and protective coatings.     

On the Role of Supercritical Water in Laser-Induced Backside Wet Etching of Glass

The features and mechanisms of microcrater formation in optical silicate glass by laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) are determined in a wide range of energy densities (Φ) from 4 to 10³ J/cm² for laser pulses of 5 ns length and 1 kHz repetition rate. The existence of two different mechanisms of laserinduced microcrater formation is revealed: (i) chemical etching in supercritical water (SCW), and (ii) cavitation. At Φ > 10² J/cm² irregular craters of 1–20 μm in depth with rough walls and distinct cracks around microcrater are formed testifying that in such mode (“hard”) laser induced cavitation plays a dominant role in glass removal. At Φ < J/cm² neat glass craters with smooth walls are formed, their size and shape are easily reproducible, cracks are not formed, and the processing area is limited to the laser spot area. In this mode (“soft mode with active cavitation”), a microcirculation of water is stimulated by cavitation without causing undesirable shock breakage. The latter is achieved thanks to the fast removal of glass etching products by microcirculation, and the inflow of “fresh” etchant (SCW) to the glass surface in the vicinity of the formed microcraters. Such mode is optimal for highly controlled laser microstructuring of glass and other optically transparent materials.     

Replication of mold for UV-nanoimprint lithography using AAO membrane

A simple and highly effective method to the replication of soft mold based on the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane was developed. The soft mold with nanopillar arrays was composed of the toluene diluted PDMS layer supported by the soft PDMS. A water contact angle as high as 114° was achieved. The hexagonally well-order arrays of holes of nanometer dimensions, ∼100 nm pore diameter and 125 nm center-to-center pore, could be gained over large areas by UV-nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) with the replicated soft PDMS mold. It is expected that the developed soft mold would find applications in light emitting diodes devices.     

Sonochemiluminescence observation and acoustic detection of cavitation induced by pulsed HIFU at a tissue–fluid interface

The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanism of the erosion process induced by 1.2 MHz pulsed high-intensity focused ultrasound (pulsed HIFU). By using Sonochemiluminescence (SCL) photograph, the initiation and maintenance of active cavitation were observed. In order to understand the role of both inertial cavitation and stable cavitation, a passive cavitation detection (PCD) transducer was used. Since the exposure variables of HIFU are important in the controlled ultrasound tissue erosion, the influence of pulse length (PL) and duty cycle (DC, T_on:T_off) has been examined. The results of tissue hole, SCL observation and acoustic detection revealed that the erosion was highly efficient for shorter PL. For higher DCs, the area of SCL increased with increasing PL. For lower DCs, the area of SCL increased with increasing PL from 10 to 20 μs and then kept constant. For all PLs, the intensity of SCL decreased with lower DC. For all DCs, the intensity of SCL per unit area (the ratio of SCL intensity to SCL area) also decreased with increasing PL from 10 to 80 μs, which suggested that the higher the intensity of SCL is, the higher the efficiency of tissue erosion is. At DC of 1:10, the position of the maximum pixel in SCL pictures was distant from the tissue–fluid interface with the increasing PL because of shielding effect. By the comparison of inertial cavitation dose (ICD) and the stable cavitation dose (SCD), the mechanisms associated with inertial cavitation are very likely to be the key factor of the erosion process.     

Nakagami-m parametric imaging for characterization of thermal coagulation and cavitation erosion induced by HIFU

Nowadays, both thermal and mechanical ablation techniques of HIFU associated with cavitation have been developed for noninvasive treatment. A specific challenge for the successful clinical implementation of HIFU is to achieve real-time imaging for the evaluation and determination of therapy outcomes such as necrosis or homogenization. Ultrasound Nakagami-m parametric imaging highlights the degrading shadowing effects of bubbles and can be used for tissue characterization. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of Nakagami-m parametric imaging for evaluating and differentiating thermal coagulation and cavitation erosion induced by HIFU. Lesions were induced in basic bovine serum albumin (BSA) phantoms and ex vivo porcine livers using a 1.6 MHz single-element transducer. Thermal and mechanical lesions induced by two types of HIFU sequences respectively were evaluated using Nakagami-m parametric imaging and ultrasound B-mode imaging. The lesion sizes estimated using Nakagami-m parametric imaging technique were all closer to the actual sizes than those of B-mode imaging. The p-value obtained from the t-test between the mean m values of thermal coagulation and cavitation erosion was smaller than 0.05, demonstrating that the m values of thermal lesions were significantly different from that of mechanical lesions, which was confirmed by ex vivo experiments and histologic examination showed that different changes result from HIFU exposure, one of tissue dehydration resulting from the thermal effect, and the other of tissue homogenate resulting from mechanical effect. This study demonstrated that Nakagami-m parametric imaging is a potential real-time imaging technique for evaluating and differentiating thermal coagulation and cavitation erosion.