On anomalously low values of the tensile strength of water

Williams, P. R.; Williams, R. L.

Abstract

We provide an explanation for the anomalously low values of liquid tensile strength recorded in some experiments involving the reflection of a pressure pulse (as tension) at the free surface of a column of water, or at a flexible membrane. The present work, which involves a development of the {\textquoteleft}bullet{–}piston{\textquoteright} method of subjecting a liquid to tension, reconciles previous dynamic stressing results with those obtained for water in a steel Berthelot tube under static stressing. It is shown that the anomalously low values of liquid tensile strength cannot be explained in terms of the effect of the free{–}surface transition layer in pulse reflection (as was previously thought) but may be attributed to deficiencies in the techniques previously used to record dynamic tensions.

Citation

Williams, P. R., & Williams, R. L. (2000). On anomalously low values of the tensile strength of water. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 456, 1321-1332. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2000.0564

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jun 8, 2000
• Publication Date: Jun 8, 2000
• Deposit Date: Jul 26, 2016
• Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Print ISSN: 1364-5021
• Publisher: Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 456
• Pages: 1321-1332
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2000.0564
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/315510