Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Published on: March 5, 2014
Arrested Dynamics of Droplet Spreading on Ice
Venkata Yashasvi Lolla1, S Farzad Ahmadi1,2, Hyunggon Park3
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.
Abstract:
We investigate the arrested spreading of room temperature droplets impacting flat ice. The use of an icy substrate eliminates the nucleation energy barrier, such that a freeze front can initiate as soon as the droplet's temperature cools down to 0 °C. We employ scaling analysis to rationalize distinct regimes of arrested hydrodynamics. For gently deposited droplets, capillary-inertial spreading is halted at the onset of contact line freezing, yielding a 1/7 scaling law for the arrested diameter. At low impact velocities (We≲100), inertial effects result in a 1/2 scaling law. At higher impact velocities (We>100), inertio-viscous spreading can spill over the frozen base of the droplet until its velocity matches that of a kinetic freeze front caused by local undercooling, resulting in a 1/5 scaling law.
Related Concept Videos
Precipitate Formation and Particle Size Control
The obtained precipitate should be either a pure substance of known composition or easily converted to one by a simple process, such as ignition or drying. In addition, the precipitate should be insoluble and easily filterable. In general, filterability...
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies...
Excess Pressure Inside a Drop and a Bubble

