Obstructed Breakup of Slender Drops in a Microfluidic T Junction

A. M. Leshansky, S. Afkhami, M.-C. Jullien, and P. Tabeling
Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 264502 – Published 26 June 2012

Abstract

In this Letter we present a theoretical analysis of the droplet breakup with “permanent obstruction” in a microfluidic T junction [M.-C. Jullien et al., Phys. Fluids 21, 072001 (2009)]. The proposed theory is based on a simple geometric construction for the interface shape combined with Tanner’s law for the local contact angle. The resulting scaling of the droplet deformation with time and capillary number is in excellent agreement with the results of direct numerical simulations and prior experiments. More rigorous analysis based on the lubrication approximation reveals a self-similar behavior analogous to the classical problem of a droplet spreading over a preexisting liquid film.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 12 February 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.264502

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. M. Leshansky1,*, S. Afkhami2, M.-C. Jullien3, and P. Tabeling3

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion-IIT, Haifa, 32000, Israel
  • 2Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA
  • 3MMN, CNRS, ESPCI Paris-Tech, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005 Paris, France

  • *lisha@technion.ac.il

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 108, Iss. 26 — 29 June 2012

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×