Drop Production by Bursting of Air Bubbles on the Sea Surface (II) Theoretical Study on the Shape of Floating Bubbles

Abstract

The shape of a single bubble floating at a gas-liquid interface, and variation of the shape with the bubble size, are calculated numerically in a non-dimensional form. The results are applied to bubbles at an air-sea water interface, and are compared with observations. A critical bubble diameter, found by S. HAYAMI and Y. TOBA (1958), concerning the drop production through jet disintegration, is examined by light of the bubble shape, and an explanation for its existence is given. Further, it is suggested, from the calculation of the area of the bubble cap, that the critical diameter represents also a critical point from which the drop production through film shuttering may become important. Possibility of determining the surface tension of a liquid, by way of an observation of a single bubble, is suggested, and a theoretical formula is proposed for this purpose.