Implementation of contact line motion based on the phase-field lattice Boltzmann method

Area of Science:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Interfacial Phenomena
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate simulation of wetting phenomena and contact line dynamics is crucial in various scientific and engineering fields.
• Existing phase-field lattice Boltzmann methods often face challenges with complex boundary conditions and interpolations.
• Implementing free-energy-based wetting boundary conditions requires robust and efficient numerical strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel strategy for implementing the free-energy-based wetting boundary condition within the phase-field lattice Boltzmann method.
• To simplify the numerical implementation of contact line motion while maintaining high accuracy.
• To provide a versatile method capable of simulating droplet behavior on various surfaces.

Main Methods:

• The liquid-solid free energy is integrated into the chemical potential, bypassing direct boundary condition implementation.
• This approach avoids complex interpolations, especially for irregular geometries.
• The phase-field lattice Boltzmann method is employed for numerical simulations.

Main Results:

• The proposed method significantly simplifies the implementation of contact line motion.
• Numerical simulations demonstrate good accuracy in capturing wetting phenomena.
• Droplet spreading on flat, inclined, and curved boundaries were successfully simulated, validating the method's capability.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy offers an effective and accurate way to simulate contact line motion in multiphase flow.
• This method provides a significant advantage in computational efficiency and implementation ease for wetting phenomena.
• The approach is well-suited for studying complex interfacial dynamics in diverse applications.