Experiments on the Capillary Force of a Clam-Shell Droplet on Fibers by 3-D Model Reconstruction

The capillary force is critical to the moving and breaking of droplets on fibers. This study brings forward a 3-D model reconstruction method for a clam-shell droplet on fibers and obtains the capillary force by the surface integral of Laplace pressure on the whole droplet. The capillary force results are verified by the droplet gravity and axial drag force, respectively. Moreover, the tensile tangential stresses are analyzed to illustrate the top limits of Laplace pressure against droplet breaking or sliding on the fiber. The experiment shows that the capillary force obtained by the 3-D model accurately describes the vertical and tangential forces of the clam-shell droplet on the fiber. Sharp shrinking of the cross-section on the droplet's upper part results in an exponential increase in tensile and tangential stresses, which makes the droplet break or move on the fiber.