The initial motion of a gas bubble formed in an inviscid liquid Part 1. The two-dimensional bubble

Abstract

The paper deals with the initial motion of a two-dimensional bubble starting from rest in the form of a cylinder with its axis horizontal. The theory is based on the assumptions of irrotational motion in the liquid round the bubble, constant pressure within the bubble, and small displacements from the cylindrical form. This theory predicts that the bubble should rise with the acceleration of gravity, over a distance of at least the initial bubble radius, and that a tongue of liquid should be projected up from the base of the bubble into its interior. These predictions are confirmed by experiments which also show how the vorticity necessary for steady motion in the spherical-cap form is generated by the detachment of two small bubbles from the back of the main bubble.