Tribonucleation is a mechanism that creates small gas bubbles by the action of making and breaking contact between solid surfaces immersed in a liquid containing dissolved gas. These small bubbles may then act as nuclei for the growth of bubbles when the pressure is reduced. As the formation of the nuclei occurs quite easily, the effect may occur in a human body engaged in light exercise, yet produce no symptoms. However tribonucleation may be a source of growing bubbles affecting

scuba diver Scuba, originally SCUBA, often expanded to scuba set, is any self contained underwater breathing apparatus, a source of breathing gas used for underwater diving which is carried by the diver. Scuba may also refer to: * Scuba diving Scuba ...

s when ascending to the surface and is a potential cause of

decompression sickness Decompression sickness (DCS; also called divers' disease, the bends, aerobullosis, and caisson disease) is a medical condition caused by dissolved gases emerging from Solution (chemistry), solution as bubbles inside the body tissues during D ...

. The process has also been described as the basis for the cracking sound produced by the manipulation of human synovial joints.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite journal , last1= Hugon , first1= J. , last2= Barthelemy , first2= L. , last3= Rostain , first3= J.C. , last4= Gardette , first4= B. , title=The pathway to drive decompression microbubbles from the tissues to the blood and the lymphatic system as a part of this transfer , journal=Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine , publisher=

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) is an organization based in the US which supports research on matters of hyperbaric medicine and physiology, and provides a certificate of added qualification for physicians with an unrestricted li ...

, volume=36 , issue=4 , pages=223–36 , year=2009 , pmid=20088241 {{cite journal , title=Production of gas bubbles in fluids by tribonucleation , last=Ikels , first=Kenneth G , date=1 April 1970 , journal=Journal of Applied Physiology , publisher=American Physiological Society , volume=28 , issue=4 , pages=524–527 , doi=10.1152/jappl.1970.28.4.524 , url=http://jap.physiology.org/content/28/4/524, url-access=subscription {{Cite journal , last1=Kawchuk , first1=Gregory N. , last2=Fryer , first2=Jerome , last3=Jaremko , first3=Jacob L. , last4=Zeng , first4=Hongbo , last5=Rowe , first5=Lindsay , last6=Thompson , first6=Richard , date=2015-04-15 , title=Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation , journal=PLOS ONE , volume=10 , issue=4 , pages=e0119470 , doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0119470 , issn=1932-6203 , pmc=4398549 , pmid=25875374 , doi-access=free Mechanisms (engineering) Underwater diving physiology Decompression theory