Damping of Underwater Explosion Bubble Oscillations

Abstract

When an explosive detonates underwater it creates a bubble of gas which performs damped radial oscillations of large amplitude. The usual theory of these oscillations treats the water as incompressible and yields undamped oscillations of constant period. We have modified this theory by taking account of the compressibility of the water. Our theory predicts damped oscillations of diminishing period. Comparison of the predicted and observed radius‐time curves for one particular case shows fairly good agreement. Radius‐time curves for four representative cases have been computed with a large number of periods in each case. These can be used to describe a variety of explosions.