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High Throughput Analysis of Liquid Droplet Impacts
Published on: March 6, 2020
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Droplet impact: Viscosity and wettability effects on splashing
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|June 10, 2019
Summary
Droplet splashing depends on surface wettability only at extreme contact angles. Liquid viscosity initially promotes splashing, but higher viscosities suppress it, leading to a predictive model.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Surface science
Background:
- Droplet splashing is a complex phenomenon influenced by fluid properties and surface characteristics.
- Understanding the interplay between viscosity, wettability, and impact dynamics is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of liquid viscosity and surface wettability on droplet splashing.
- To determine the conditions under which splashing occurs and to develop a predictive model.
Main Methods:
- Experiments were conducted using a wide range of liquid viscosities (1-100 cSt), surface wettabilities (hydrophilic to hydrophobic), drop velocities (0.5-3.3 m/s), and surface tensions (∼20 and 70 mN/m).
- High-speed imaging was employed to capture the droplet impact and splashing dynamics.
Main Results:
- Surface wettability significantly affects splashing only at very high or very low contact angles.
- Liquid viscosity initially promotes splashing up to approximately 5 cSt (Reynolds number of 2000), after which it suppresses splashing.
- A general empirical relationship was developed to predict splashing behavior based on the observed parameters.
Conclusions:
- The study elucidates the non-monotonic effect of viscosity and the limited role of wettability on droplet splashing.
- The developed empirical model provides a unified framework for predicting splashing across various conditions.
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