BURSTING OF SOAP FILMS .2. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Several aspects of the bursting of thin liquid films of low viscosity are considered, neglecting air resistance. It is shown that any significant aureole preceding the rim of the expanding hole is related to large changes of surface tension as the film shrinks and thickens. Methods for calculating these changes from observable quantities are given both for the general case and for self-similar bursting in which all features of the aureole expand linearly with time. The latter represents a limiting case in which the relaxation of surface tension is negligible during bursting. This limiting case is discussed in more detail for unidimensional bursting and several experimentally observed features of the bursting of soap films are accounted for qualitatively.