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Capillarity in Fluid01:19

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Fabric Moisture Uniform Control to Study the Influence of Air Impingement Parameters on Fabric Drying Characteristics
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Droplets Wicking in Thin Materials Exhibit Universal Drying Dynamics.

Garam Lee1, Samira Shiri1,2, James C Bird1

  • 1Boston University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.

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|October 25, 2025
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Liquid drops on porous surfaces spread and then shrink due to evaporation. This wicking behavior, crucial for cooling textiles and forensic analysis, is predictable with a single parameter, showing a universal expansion-then-contraction dynamic.

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Area of Science:

  • Fluid dynamics
  • Materials science
  • Surface science

Background:

  • Wicking, the radial spread of liquid on porous surfaces, is utilized in applications like cooling textiles.
  • Understanding wicking dynamics is crucial for forensic stain analysis, where liquid spread complicates interpretation.
  • The interplay between liquid spreading and evaporation in porous media is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and model the wicking dynamics of a liquid drop on a thin porous surface, focusing on the influence of evaporation.
  • To determine how evaporation affects the spreading and receding behavior of the liquid front.
  • To identify predictable parameters governing the wicking process.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental measurements of liquid drop spreading and evaporation on porous substrates.
  • Development of a mathematical model to describe the coupled wicking and evaporation phenomena.
  • Analysis of the influence of substrate and liquid properties on wicking dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Evaporation can cause the liquid front to reverse direction, leading to a shrinking wetted patch after initial spreading.
  • A single dimensionless parameter, dependent on substrate and liquid properties, predicts both maximum wetted diameter and total evaporation time.
  • A universal dynamic was observed: drops expand for approximately 25% of their lifetime and shrink for the remaining 75%.

Conclusions:

  • The wicking dynamics of drops on porous surfaces are governed by a predictable interplay between spreading and evaporation.
  • The maximum stain size and evaporation time are not linearly dependent on the initial droplet volume, contrary to simple assumptions.
  • The findings offer insights into optimizing applications like cooling textiles and improving forensic analysis techniques.