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Polygonal Wrinkles in a Soft Solidified Droplet
Li Chen1, Cheng Cao1, Yuqi Li1
1Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics & College of Intelligent Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Soft solidified droplets exhibit self-folding and polygonal wrinkling. The thin film
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Fluid Dynamics
- Phase Change Phenomena
Background:
- Liquid freezing impacts materials science and manufacturing.
- Solidified liquids resist deformation, complicating thin-film mechanics.
- Understanding freezing patterns is crucial for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the mechanical behavior of solidified droplets.
- Analyze pattern formation during droplet freezing.
- Explore the transition of polygonal wrinkles in thin films.
Main Methods:
- Studied hexadecane droplet impact on an aluminum substrate.
- Applied strong supercooling conditions.
- Utilized scaling analysis and numerical simulations.
Main Results:
- Observed self-folding and polygonal wrinkling in solidified droplets.
- Documented a sequential transformation of wrinkles from octagonal to tetragonal.
- Found excellent agreement between simulations and experimental observations.
Conclusions:
- Soft solidified droplets can form complex, transforming polygonal wrinkles.
- Gauss's theorema egregium governs the wrinkling patterns.
- This phenomenon offers insights into thin-film mechanics and pattern formation.
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