Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
08:49
Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions
Published on: February 17, 2019
6.8K
Effects of Geometric Confinement on Zero-Gravity Droplets between Two Parallel Planes.
Cunjing Lv1,2, Bin Zhang1,2, Songlin Shi1,2
1Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, 100084 Beijing, P. R. China.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|October 23, 2020
Summary
Geometric confinement significantly impacts droplet wetting between parallel planes. Analytical solutions reveal how droplet size and plane separation influence wetting behavior, validated by experiments.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Fluid Dynamics
- Surface Science
Background:
- Wetting phenomena are crucial in nature and applications.
- Understanding geometric effects on confined droplets is essential.
- Previous studies lacked comprehensive analytical solutions for arbitrary parameters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate geometric confinement effects on droplet wetting between parallel planes.
- To derive closed-form solutions for the Young-Laplace equation.
- To provide analytical expressions for Laplace pressure, droplet volume, surface energy, and capillary force.
Main Methods:
- Analytical derivation of closed solutions for the Young-Laplace equation.
- Application of asymptotic methods for nonwetting and wetting cases.
- Experimental validation with gravity-counteracted droplets.
Main Results:
- Closed solutions applicable for arbitrary contact angles and droplet size/plane separation ratios.
- Simple analytical expressions for key droplet parameters derived using asymptotic methods.
- Quantitative agreement between asymptotic results and experimental/theoretical data.
Conclusions:
- Geometric confinement plays a critical role in droplet wetting behavior.
- The derived analytical solutions offer a simplified understanding of these effects.
- The study provides a valuable framework for predicting droplet behavior in confined geometries.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:04Hydrostatic Pressure Force on a Plane Surface
1.0K
When a plane surface is submerged in a fluid, hydrostatic forces develop on the surface due to the fluid's pressure. For horizontal surfaces, the pressure exerted by the fluid is uniform because the depth remains constant. The resultant force is determined by the pressure at the given depth multiplied by the area of the surface, and it acts through the centroid of the surface. For vertical surfaces, the pressure varies with depth, increasing as the distance from the fluid's free surface...
1.0K
01:01Weightlessness
6.4K
When an object is dropped, it accelerates toward the center of the Earth. If the net external force on the object is its weight, it is said to be in free fall; that is, the only force acting on the object is gravity. Galileo was instrumental in showing that, in the absence of air resistance, all objects fall with the same acceleration g. However, when objects on the Earth fall downward, they are never truly in free fall, because there is always some upward resistance force from the air acting...
6.4K
01:17Accelerating Fluids
1.9K
When a fluid is in constant acceleration, the pressure and buoyant force equations are modified. Suppose a beaker is placed in an elevator accelerating upward with a constant acceleration, a. In the beaker, assume there is a thin cylinder of height h with an infinitesimal cross-sectional area, ΔS.
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
1.9K
01:13Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble
2.8K
The shape of a small drop of liquid can be considered spherical, neglecting the effect of gravity. This drop can further be considered as two equal hemispherical drops put together due to surface tension. The forces acting on the spherical drop are due to the pressure of the liquid inside the drop, the pressure due to air outside the drop, and the force due to the surface tension acting on the two hemispherical drops.
2.8K
01:17Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
638
Understanding steady, laminar flow between parallel plates is essential for analyzing and designing flow in narrow rectangular channels, commonly found in various water conveyance and drainage systems. The Navier-Stokes equations govern fluid motion and are generally challenging to solve due to their nonlinearity. However, simplifications are possible in certain cases, like the steady laminar flow between parallel plates. For this scenario, we assume steady, incompressible, laminar flow.
638
01:27Gravity between Spherical Bodies
9.1K
Newton's law of gravitation describes the gravitational force between any two point masses. However, for extended spherical objects like the Earth, the Moon, and other planets, the law holds with an assumption that masses of spherical objects are concentrated at their respective centers.
This assumption can be proved easily by showing that the expression for gravitational potential energy between a hollow sphere of mass (M) and a point mass (m) is the same as it would be for a pair of extended...
This assumption can be proved easily by showing that the expression for gravitational potential energy between a hollow sphere of mass (M) and a point mass (m) is the same as it would be for a pair of extended...
9.1K