The impulsive motion of a liquid resulting from a particle collision

Abstract

When two particles collide in a liquid, the impulsive acceleration due to the rebound produces a pressure pulse that is transmitted through the fluid. Detailed measurements were made of the pressure pulse and the motion of the particles by generating controlled collisions with an immersed dual pendulum. The experiments were performed for a range of impact velocities, angles of incidence, and distances between the wall and the pairs of particles. The radiated fluid pressure was measured using a high-frequency-response pressure transducer, and the motion of the particles was recorded using a high-speed digital camera. The magnitude of the impulse pressure was found to scale with the particle velocity, the particle diameter and the density of the fluid. Additionally, a model is proposed to predict the impulse field in the fluid based on the impulse pressure theory. The model agrees well with the experimental measurements.