Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube01:18

Rise of Liquid in a Capillary Tube

When very thin cylindrical tubes, called capillaries, are dipped in a liquid, the liquid rises or falls in the tube compared to the surrounding liquid. This phenomenon is called capillary action. Capillary action occurs due to the combination of two opposing forces: the cohesive forces of the liquid, which cause it to stick to itself and form a rounded shape, and the adhesive forces between the liquid and the walls of the container, which cause the liquid to be attracted to the container walls.
Contact Angle01:13

Contact Angle

When a solid is dipped inside a liquid, the liquid surface becomes curved near the contact. For some solid–liquid interfaces, the liquid is pulled up along the solid, while for others, the liquid surface is convex or depressed near the solid surface. This phenomenon can be explained using the concept of cohesive and adhesive forces.
The adhesive force is the molecular force between molecules of different materials, that is, between the molecules of the solid and the liquid. The cohesive force...
Capillarity in Fluid01:19

Capillarity in Fluid

Capillarity describes the movement of liquid in small spaces without external forces acting on it. The capillarity is driven by surface tension and adhesive interactions between the liquid and surrounding solid surfaces. This effect is often seen in narrow tubes, porous materials, and fine particles.
Surface tension is crucial to capillarity. It results from cohesive forces between liquid molecules at the liquid-air boundary, forming a skin that resists external forces. When the capillary tube...
Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity02:57

Surface Tension, Capillary Action, and Viscosity

Surface Tension
The various IMFs between identical molecules of a substance are examples of cohesive forces. The molecules within a liquid are surrounded by other molecules and are attracted equally in all directions by the cohesive forces within the liquid. However, the molecules on the surface of a liquid are attracted only by about one-half as many molecules. Because of the unbalanced molecular attractions on the surface molecules, liquids contract to form a shape that minimizes the number...
Velocity Potential01:20

Velocity Potential

In steady, incompressible flow through a long, straight pipe with a uniform cross-section, the flow in the central region (far from the pipe walls) is irrotational. This irrotational nature means that fluid particles do not rotate around their axes, and a scalar function called the velocity potential, represented by ϕ, can be used to describe their movement. In irrotational flows, the velocity field V is defined as the gradient of the velocity potential:
Free Jet01:14

Free Jet

Free jets describe the flow of liquid exiting a reservoir through an opening into the atmosphere without resistance. The velocity (v) of the liquid jet is derived using Bernoulli's principle and expressed as:

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Corrigendum: Axisymmetric spheroidal squirmers and self-diffusiophoretic particles (<i>J. Phys.: Condens. Matter</i>32 164001).

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2023
Same author

Azimuthal Correlations within Exclusive Dijets with Large Momentum Transfer in Photon-Lead Collisions.

Physical review letters·2023
Same author

Self-Motility of an Active Particle Induced by Correlations in the Surrounding Solution.

Physical review letters·2021
Same author

Interface-mediated spontaneous symmetry breaking and mutual communication between drops containing chemically active particles.

Nature communications·2020
Same author

Axisymmetric spheroidal squirmers and self-diffusiophoretic particles.

Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal·2019
Same author

Active Janus colloids at chemically structured surfaces.

The Journal of chemical physics·2019

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces
08:05

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Capillary rise with velocity-dependent dynamic contact angle.

M N Popescu1, J Ralston, R Sedev

  • 1Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, SA, Australia. Mihail.Popescu@unisa.edu.au

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|October 7, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Washburn equation for capillary rise may not always hold true due to dynamic contact angles. New models show similarities, but strong velocity dependence can cause deviations in liquid rise time.

More Related Videos

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
09:31

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Published on: March 27, 2019

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
11:51

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions

Published on: February 22, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces
08:05

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces

Published on: September 9, 2022

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices
09:31

Surface Properties of Synthesized Nanoporous Carbon and Silica Matrices

Published on: March 27, 2019

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions
11:51

Visually Based Characterization of the Incipient Particle Motion in Regular Substrates: From Laminar to Turbulent Conditions

Published on: February 22, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Surface science
  • Physical chemistry

Background:

  • The Washburn equation describes capillary rise assuming constant equilibrium contact angles.
  • Experimental evidence suggests dynamic contact angles vary with contact line velocity.
  • This challenges the applicability of the classic Washburn equation in certain scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze how dynamic contact angle models affect capillary rise time and height.
  • To compare theoretical predictions with experimental observations for silicone oil and water in glass capillaries.
  • To identify conditions under which deviations from the Washburn equation become significant.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical modeling of capillary rise incorporating velocity-dependent dynamic contact angles.
  • Analysis of the time and height dependence of the contact angle during capillary rise.
  • Application of models to experimental data for high-viscosity silicone oil and water.

Main Results:

  • Most dynamic contact angle models show strong similarities to the Washburn equation regarding capillary rise time.
  • This explains the general lack of experimental evidence for deviations from the classic theory.
  • Significant deviations in rise time are predicted for liquids with strong velocity-dependent contact angles at low velocities, like water on glass.

Conclusions:

  • The study highlights the importance of considering dynamic contact angles in capillary flow.
  • While often similar to the Washburn equation, deviations can occur, particularly for specific liquid-solid interfaces.
  • Analyzing the contact angle's time or height dependence is crucial for distinguishing between different capillary rise models.