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Direct Self-Sustained Fragmentation Cascade of Reactive Droplets
Chihiro Inoue1, Yu-Ichiro Izato2, Atsumi Miyake2
1The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
Physical Review Letters
|March 4, 2017
Summary
Fireworks create light streaks from bursting liquid droplets. This study reveals a rare, self-sustained cascade of droplet fragmentation, answering a long-standing question in physics.
Area of Science:
- Physics of fragmentation
- Materials science
- Chemical kinetics
Background:
- Traditional fireworks produce light streaks from incandescent liquid droplets.
- The precise sequence of droplet formation and fragmentation was not fully understood.
- A century-old question regarding spontaneous, multi-generational fragmentation persisted.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the detailed sequence of events in firework light streak formation.
- To investigate the rare phenomenon of spontaneous, direct droplet fragmentation cascades.
- To characterize the time and length scales of this fragmentation process.
Main Methods:
- Observation of incandescent reactive liquid droplets from melted powder.
- Analysis of the chemical reactions, thermal decomposition, and gas dynamics involved.
- Documentation of the sequential formation of liquid ligaments and droplets.
Main Results:
- Detailed sequence of events identified: air reaction, melt decomposition, bubble nucleation/bursting, droplet formation.
- Observed a rare, self-sustained direct cascade of droplet fragmentation.
- The cascade proceeded over up to eight generations with defined scales.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a comprehensive understanding of firework light streak generation.
- A natural example of a multi-generational comminution process has been identified and characterized.
- This finding enriches the phenomenology of fragmentation and answers a historical scientific question.
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