Acoustic signal associated with the bursting of a soap film...

Collaboration with Thibaut Divoux, Valérie Vidal and Francisco Melo

Abstract

We report an experimental study of the sound produced by the bursting of a thin liquid film, which initially closes an overpressurized cylindrical cavity. There is a need for a deep understanding of the phenomenon, which can be very useful in numerous practical cases. For instance, in the nature, the volcanologists observe the bursting of large, elongated, gas-bubbles at the surface of lava lakes and record the associated sound emission. One can wonder which pieces of information they can get from such acoustic measurements. For a didactic purpose, we provide also the reader with all the theoretical background necessary for the understanding of the physical processes that govern the various characteristics of the acoustic signals: the cavity geometry governs the frequency; the viscous dissipation and the radiation are responsible for the damping; the acoustic energy informs about the characteristic time associated with the film-rupture more than about the energy initially loaded in the cavity.

Related publication

Acoustic signal associated with the bursting of a soap film which initially closes an overpressurized cavity
Experiment and theory,

V. Vidal, J.-C. Géminard, T. Divoux and F. Melo, Eur. Phys. J. B 54
(2006) 321-339.