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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
06:42
Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
Instability of stationary liquid sheets.
1Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
Summary
This study analyzes liquid film rupture, comparing approximate theories to an exact solution. The dissipation method shows high accuracy, indicating small vorticity effects for moderate van der Waals forces.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Surface physics
- Non-equilibrium thermodynamics
Background:
- Liquid film rupture is critical in various industrial processes.
- Surface tension and van der Waals forces govern film stability.
- Existing models often rely on approximations like long-wave theory.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the rupture of 3D stationary free liquid films.
- To compare irrotational and long-wave approximations with the exact 2D solution.
- To assess the accuracy of the dissipation method in predicting film rupture.
Main Methods:
- Linearized stability analysis using the dissipation method.
- Comparison with 2D long-wave approximation.
- Validation against the exact 2D solution.
Main Results:
- All methods agree for infinitely long waves.
- Approximations differ by <1% for small Hamaker numbers.
- Long-wave and potential flow approximations show small deviations from the exact solution for Ohnesorge numbers near one.
Conclusions:
- The dissipation method provides highly accurate predictions for liquid film rupture.
- Vorticity effects are negligible for small to moderate Hamaker numbers.
- Accurate modeling of film rupture requires careful consideration of dimensionless parameters like Hamaker and Ohnesorge numbers.
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