Résumé :
In this talk two important approaches in the understanding of the destructive and often violent behaviour of cavitation bubbles are considered. We begin with an experimental examination of the interaction of a single laser generated bubble with a solid surface by making simultaneous observations of the collapse processes of the bubble and the stresses experienced by the solid surface. This is achieved by using a combination of Schlieren photography and a thin film pressure transducer placed on the solid surface. Jet phenomenon, multiple shock wave emissions and `splash’ effects are all identified. Complimentary to this, a two phase compressible Euler numerical solver is presented which uses finite difference methods in both the spatial and temporal dimensions whilst the interface between the two phases is captured using a level set function. The ghost fluid method, together with the isobaric fix technique, is employed to impose accurate, thermodynamically correct, boundary conditions at the interface which also suppresses non-physical oscillations in the solution variables. A sample of results illustrating bubble/shock interactions in a number of different geometry configurations will be given and an overview of the intended future developments of the compressible solver to aid understanding of the cavitation process will be given.