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Wicking Tests for Unidirectional Fabrics: Measurements of Capillary Parameters to Evaluate Capillary Pressure in Liquid Composite Molding Processes

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Gravity-capillary lumps generated by a moving pressure source.

James Diorio¹, Yeunwoo Cho, James H Duncan

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA.

Physical Review Letters

|April 7, 2010

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers studied nonlinear wave patterns from a moving pressure source on liquid surfaces. They observed transitions to solitary waves ("lumps") and V-shaped patterns as speed increased below the minimum phase speed.

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Area of Science:

Fluid dynamics
Nonlinear wave phenomena
Surface physics

Background:

Localized pressure sources moving over liquid surfaces can generate complex wave patterns.
Theoretical models predict the possibility of fully localized solitary waves (lumps) under specific speed conditions.
Understanding these nonlinear phenomena is crucial for various applications, including wave generation and fluid-structure interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally and theoretically investigate the nonlinear wave patterns generated by a localized pressure source moving below the minimum phase speed (c_min) of gravity-capillary waves.
To identify and characterize the transitions in wave behavior as the source speed varies.
To explore the conditions under which solitary waves (lumps) and other complex wave structures emerge.

Main Methods:

Experimental investigation of wave patterns generated by a localized pressure source moving across a liquid free surface.
Theoretical analysis of nonlinear wave generation and propagation dynamics.
Varying the speed of the pressure source relative to the minimum phase speed (c_min) to observe different flow regimes.

Main Results:

At speeds far below c_min, the surface response is a local depression.
A critical speed (c_c ≈ 0.9c_min) triggers a transition to a steady, steep lump-like disturbance.
Approaching c_min, an unsteady state emerges, characterized by continuous shedding of lumps from a V-shaped wave pattern.

Conclusions:

The study reveals distinct transitions in nonlinear wave patterns as a pressure source speed approaches the minimum phase speed.
Solitary waves (lumps) and V-shaped wave patterns are experimentally observed and theoretically explained.
These findings contribute to the understanding of nonlinear wave dynamics and solitary wave generation in fluid systems.