Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A Method for Studying the Temperature Dependence of Dynamic Fracture and Fragmentation
Published on: June 28, 2015
Shape effect of hot droplets on fragmentation
Nobuyoshi Komatsu1, Takashi Abe
1Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. n-komatsu@gd.isas.jaxa.jp
Abstract:
Fragmentation dynamics and the shape effect of initial hot droplets on it are investigated by using a classical molecular dynamics method. As the initial conditions for the fragmentation simulation, small hot droplets in the supercritical phase, with the number of particles N less than approximately 10(3), are considered. It is revealed that, in the process of the fragmentation, the largest cluster approaches a certain quasistable state corresponding to the so-called triple point. It is also revealed that the initial shape of the hot droplets has a significant effect on the cluster distribution generated after fragmentation; i.e., the more prolate the initial shape, the more markedly the size of the largest cluster decreases and the number of small clusters increases. The shape effect diminishes with an increasing number of particles in the initial hot droplet and could be negligible for large hot droplets, of the number of particles N more than approximately 10(3).
Related Concept Videos
Mass Spectrometry: Molecular Fragmentation Overview
One type of fragmentation pattern is the cleavage of a single bond in the molecular ion. The cleavage leads to a radical and a cation. The cleavage can occur at...
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Mass Spectrometry: Alcohol Fragmentation
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Mass Spectrometry: Cycloalkane Fragmentation
For example, cyclohexane molecular ions have a mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of 84, which tends to produce a stronger signal than linear alkanes like hexane. This stability comes from...
Impact
When particles with different initial velocities collide, they induce deformation by applying equal and opposite impulses. At the point of maximum deformation, the particles move together with...

