Study on the interactions between two identical oscillation bubbles and a free surface in a tank

A boundary element method based on the incompressible potential flow theory is adopted to investigate the interaction between two identical oscillating bubbles and a free surface in a tank. An axisymmetric numerical model is established, and certain numerical techniques are proposed to address coefficient matrix singularity and fluid-structure intersection. Experiments with spark-generated bubbles in a cylindrical tank recorded by a high-speed camera are conducted, and the numerical results are validated. On this basis, a typical case of bubbles interacting with a free surface in a tank with relatively small inter-bubble and bubble-free surface distances is carefully studied. A crown-shaped water column at the free surface is observed both numerically and experimentally. The maximum volume of the lower bubble is found to be much larger than that of the upper one. The effects of the inter-bubble and bubble-wall distances on bubble dynamics and free surface motion are analyzed. The results can provide a useful reference for underwater explosion experiments in the confined fluid field.