Numerical investigation on the influence of dual-frequency coupling parameters on acoustic cavitation and its analysis of the enhancement and attenuation effect

[Display omitted] •A bubble dynamics model was established in the dual-frequency acoustic field.•The effect of coupling parameters (f, φ, β) on acoustic cavitation were discussed.•Enhancement and attenuation effects were analyzed by varying two ultrasonic frequencies.•The best cavitation effect was found when φ = 0, β = 1 and f = 5 kHz.•The attenuation effect is more likely to occur with an increase in f and/or φ. To understand the effect of coupling parameters between two ultrasonic waves on acoustic cavitation, in this work, Keller-Miksis equation was introduced to built a bubble dynamics model that was used to describe the dynamic evolution of bubble and to discuss the effect of dual-frequency coupling parameters, such as frequency difference f (5 ∼ 280 kHz), phase difference φ (0 ∼ 7π/4 rad), and power allocation ratio β (0 ∼ 9), on acoustic cavitation in the presence of two ultrasonic waves irradiation. The enhancement and attenuation effect of cavitation have also been analyzed in detail by comparing the different dual-frequency combinations with single-frequency mode. It was found that all coupling parameters have a significant impact on acoustic cavitation, where the smaller values of f and φ were employed when β = 1, the stronger cavitation intensity was observed. Nevertheless, as the power allocation ratio is increased from 1 to 9 at φ = 0 for different frequency differences, the acoustic cavitation exhibits an attenuation trend. When the total acoustic power is evenly distributed, namely β = 1, the largest maximum expansion ratio (i.e. 12.96) was obtained at φ = 0 and f = 5 kHz, which represents a strongest cavitation effect. In addition, for different frequency combinations, the enhancement effect is found under the mixture of low and low frequency, whereas attenuation effect is generated easily by the combination of high and low frequency. Moreover, the effect become more pronounced as the proportion of high frequency component increases.