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Bouncing jet: a Newtonian liquid rebounding off a free surface
Matthew Thrasher1, Sunghwan Jung, Yee Kwong Pang
1Center for Nonlinear Dynamics and Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. thrasher@chaos.utexas.edu
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|February 1, 2008
Summary
A liquid jet can bounce off a liquid bath if the bath moves horizontally. This phenomenon, observed in Newtonian fluids, involves an air layer and stable bouncing for various conditions.
Area of Science:
- Fluid Dynamics
- Rheology
- Surface Science
Background:
- Previous observations of jet bouncing (e.g., Kaye effect) were limited to non-Newtonian fluids.
- The underlying mechanisms for jet-bath interaction in Newtonian fluids remain less understood.
- Understanding liquid jet behavior is crucial for applications in printing, coating, and manufacturing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the conditions under which a liquid jet can bounce off a bath of the same liquid.
- To explore this phenomenon in Newtonian fluids, contrasting with prior observations.
- To characterize the stability and parameters influencing jet bouncing.
Main Methods:
- Experimental setup involving a liquid jet impacting a horizontally moving bath of the same liquid.
- Observation and analysis of jet behavior, including bouncing, for various Newtonian fluids (e.g., mineral oil).
- Systematic variation of parameters such as fluid viscosity, jet flow rate, jet velocity, and bath velocity.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that liquid jets can stably bounce off a moving bath of the same Newtonian liquid.
- Identified a thin air layer separating the jet and bath, replenished by relative motion.
- Observed stable single and double bounces across a range of fluid properties and velocities, with hysteresis and multiple steady states.
Conclusions:
- The bouncing of liquid jets on baths is achievable in Newtonian fluids under specific relative motion conditions.
- The presence and replenishment of an air film are key to the observed bouncing phenomenon.
- The study expands the understanding of fluid-surface interactions and jet dynamics beyond non-Newtonian fluids.
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