Influence of Droplet Geometry on the Coalescence of Low Viscosity Drops

A. Eddi, K. G. Winkels, and J. H. Snoeijer
Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 144502 – Published 1 October 2013

Abstract

The coalescence of water drops on a substrate is studied experimentally. We focus on the rapid growth of the bridge connecting the two drops, which very quickly after contact ensues from a balance of surface tension and liquid inertia. For drops with contact angles below 90°, we find that the bridge grows with a self-similar dynamics that is characterized by a height ht2/3. By contrast, the geometry of coalescence changes dramatically for contact angles at 90°, for which we observe ht1/2, just as for freely suspended spherical drops in the inertial regime. We present a geometric model that quantitatively captures the transition from 2/3 to 1/2 exponent, and unifies the inertial coalescence of sessile drops and freely suspended drops.

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  • Received 15 January 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.144502

© 2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Eddi, K. G. Winkels, and J. H. Snoeijer

  • Physics of Fluids Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, J. M. Burgers Centre for Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands

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Issue

Vol. 111, Iss. 14 — 4 October 2013

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