An Approximate Lie Group Investigation into the Spreading of a Liquid Drop on a Slowly Dropping Flat Plane

The approximate Lie group method is used to investigate the evolutionof the free surface of a thin liquid drop on a slowly dropping flat plane. Surfacetension effects are ignored. A group classification is performed to determine the rateat which the plane drops. An approximate group invariant solution is then calculatedfor the free surface of an evolving liquid drop on the slowly dropping flat plane. Animportant parameter in the solution is the initial angle of the plane. For small anglesthere is no significant difference in the drop profile. For larger angles, changes in thedrop profile and rate of spreading are significant.     

An investigation into the spreading of a thin liquid drop under gravity on a slowly rotating disk

The axisymmetric spreading of a thin liquid drop under the influence of gravity and rotation is investigated. The effects of the Coriolis force and surface tension are ignored. The Lie group method is used to analyse the non-linear diffusion-convection equation modelling the spreading of the liquid drop under gravity and rotation. A stationary group invariant solution is obtained. The case when rotation is small is considered next. A straightforward perturbation approach is used to determine the effects of the small rotation on the solution given for spreading under gravity only. Over a short period of time no real difference is observed between the approximate solution and the solution for spreading under gravity only. After a long period of time, the approximate solution tends toward a dewetting solution. We find that the approximate solution is valid only in the interval t∈[0,t∗), where t∗ is the time when dewetting takes place. An approximation to t∗ is obtained.     

Axisymmetric spreading of a thin liquid drop with suction or blowing at the horizontal base

The axisymmetric spreading under gravity of a thin liquid drop on a horizontal plane with suction or blowing of fluid at the base is considered. The thickness of the liquid drop satisfies a non-linear diffusion equation with a source term. For a group invariant solution to exist the normal component of the fluid velocity at the base, v_n, must satisfy a first-order quasi-linear partial differential equation. The general form of the group invariant solution for the thickness of the liquid drop and for v_n is derived. Two particular solutions are considered. Each solution depends essentially on only one parameter which can be varied to yield a range of models. In the first solution, v_n is proportional to the thickness of the liquid drop. The base radius always increases even for suction. In the second solution, v_n is proportional to the gradient of the thickness of the liquid drop. The thickness of the liquid drop always decreases even for blowing. A special case is the solution with no spreading or contraction at the base which may have application in ink-jet printing.     

Axisymmetric spreading of a thin power-law fluid under gravity on a horizontal plane

Separable solutions admitted by a nonlinear partial differential equation modeling the axisymmetric spreading under gravity of a thin power-law fluid on a horizontal plane are investigated. The model equation is reduced to a highly nonlinear second-order ordinary differential equation for the spatial variable. Using the techniques of Lie group analysis, the nonlinear ordinary differential equation is linearized and solved. As a consequence of this linearization, new results are obtained.     

Gravity-induced spreading of a drop of a viscous fluid over a surface

The unsteady-state nonlinear problem of spreading of a drop of a viscous fluid on the horizontal surface of a solid under the action of gravity and capillary forces is considered for small Reynolds numbers. The method of asymptotic matching is applied to solve the axisymmetrical problem of spreading when the gravity exerts a significant effect on the dynamics of the drop. The flow structure in the drop is determined at large times in the neighborhood of a self-similar solution. The ranges of applicability of the quasiequilibrium model of drop spreading with a dynamic edge angle and a self-similar solution are found. It is shown that the transition from one flow model to another occurs at very large Bond numbers. Institute of Mechanics of Multiphase Systems, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tyumen’ 625000. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 59–67, May–June, 1999.     

The influence of a magnetic field on the mechanical behavior of a fluid interface

This work focuses on a theoretical investigation of the shape and equilibrium height of a magnetic liquid–liquid interface formed between two vertical flat plates in response to vertical magnetic fields. The formulation is based on an extension of the so called Young–Laplace equation for an incompressible magnetic fluid forming a two-dimensional free interface. A first order dependence of the fluid susceptibility with respect to the magnetic field is considered. The formulation results in a hydrodynamic-magnetic coupled problem governed by a nonlinear second order differential equation that describes the liquid–liquid meniscus shape. According to this formulation, five relevant physical parameters are revealed in this fluid static problem. The standard gravitational Bond number, the contact angle and three new parameters related to magnetic effects in the present study: the magnetic Bond number, the magnetic susceptibility and its derivative with respect to the field. The nonlinear governing equation is integrated numerically using a fourth order Runge-Kutta method with a Newton–Raphson scheme, in order to accelerate the convergence of the solution. The influence of the relevant parameters on the rise and shape of the liquid–liquid interface is examined. The interface shape response in the presence of a magnetic field varying with characteristic wavenumbers is also explored. The numerical results are compared with asymptotic predictions also derived here for small values of the magnetic Bond number and constant susceptibility. A very good agreement is observed. In addition, all the parameters are varied in order to understand how the scales influence the meniscus shape. Finally, we discuss how to control the shape of the meniscus by applying a magnetic field.     

Experimental investigation on splashing and nonlinear fingerlike instability of large water drops

The fluid physics of the splashing and spreading of a large-scale water drop is experimentally observed and investigated. New phenomena of drop impact that differ from the conventional Rayleigh–Taylor instability theory are reported. Our experimental data shows good agreement with previous work at low Weber number but the number of fingers or instabilities begins to deviate from the R–T equation of Allen at high Weber numbers. Also observed were multiple waves (or rings) on the spreading liquid surface induced from pressure bouncing (or pulsation) within the impacting liquid. The first ring is transformed into a radially ejecting spray whose initial speed is accelerated to a velocity of 4–5 times that of the impacting drop. This first ring is said to be “splashing,” and its structure is somewhat chaotic and turbulent, similar to a columnar liquid jet surrounded by neighboring gas jets at relatively high impact speed. At lower impact speeds, splashing occurs as a crown-shaped cylindrical sheet. A second spreading ring is observed that transforms into fingers in the circumferential direction during spreading. At higher Weber number, the spreading of a third ring follows that of the second. This third ring, induced by the pressure pulsation, overruns and has fewer fingers than the second, which is still in a transitional spreading stage. Several important relationships between the drop impact speed, the spray ejection speed of the first ring, and the number of fingers of the second and third rings are presented, based on data acquired during a set of drop impact experiments. Issues related to the traditional use of the R–T instability are also addressed.     

A new solution for the rotation-driven spreading of a thin fluid film

Lie groups are used to solve the equation governing the flow of a thin liquid film subject to centrifugal spreading and viscous resistance. A new implicit solution is found. It is shown how this relates to the previous known solutions for the spreading of an initially flat film, the steady state and a separable solution. New permissible forms for the film evolution are also studied, including solutions exhibiting finite time blow-up. Near the contact line, where the film height tends to zero, an approximate explicit solution is obtained which may be used to describe a film with any size contact angle.     

Numerical and asymptotic solutions of generalised Burgers’ equation

The generalised Burgers’ equation models the nonlinear evolution of acoustic disturbances subject to thermoviscous dissipation. When thermoviscous effects are small, asymptotic analysis predicts the development of a narrow shock region, which widens, leading eventually to a shock-free linear decay regime. The exact nature of the evolution differs subtly depending upon whether plane waves are considered, or cylindrical or spherical spreading waves. This paper focuses on the differences in asymptotic shock structure and validates the asymptotic predictions by comparison with numerical solutions. Precise expressions for the shock width and shock location are also obtained.     

Surface instabilities of thin liquid film flow on a rotating disk

 Steady flow of a liquid jet from a nozzle onto the centre of a rotating disk is studied with a streak line method to determine the superficial velocity of the spreading liquid film. Good agreement is found with an asymptotic analysis of the unperturbed flow field. Experimentally, the liquid surface is always perturbed by surface waves which appear as regular spirals, steady in the laboratory system in the low Reynolds number range. It could be shown that wave formation is very sensitive to entrance conditions. Therefore, it is assumed that wave generation is an entrance effect which acts as periodic forcing on the forming liquid film. Wave velocities outside the entrance region are measured and proved to be in good agreement with the prediction of a linear stability theory, as long as the flow rate and entrance perturbations are small. At higher flow rates or stronger disturbances, the radial development of the wave velocities takes on the characteristics predicted by nonlinear stability theories and is in qualitative agreement with experiments performed on an inclined plane. Received: 15 January 1998/Accepted: 8 June 1998     

Falling of a body with a flat elastic bottom on a thin liquid layer at a small angle

Nonlinear shallow water equations and the method of matched asymptotic expansions are used to solve the problem of the impact of a box-type body with a flat bottom on a thin elastic liquid layer at a small angle in the plane formulation. It is established that, at certain values of the input parameters of the problem, the liquid pressure near the body edges becomes less than atmospheric pressure, and the liquid separates from the bottom of the box. Calculations demonstrating the influence of elastic bottom and liquid separation on the body motion are performed. It is shown that the presence of an elastic bottom significantly changes the hydrodynamic pressure distribution and can cause loads higher than in the case of a rigid body.     

Nonsmall liquid oscillations in a right circular cylinder

In this study we consider certain nonlinear effects which occur during oscillations of a liquid partially filling a right circular cylinder. The problem of nonlinear oscillations of a liquid in a circular cylinder has been considered in [1, 2]. The same problem has been solved in [3, 4] for arbitrary cavities by a somewhat different method.In the present paper we investigate the stability of forced oscillations of a liquid in a cylinder when the latter performs small harmonic oscillations in a plane passing through its axis.     

Spreading of the Liquid over the Surface with Penetration into the Soil

A semi-empirical theory of liquid spreading induced by the gravity force and accompanied by penetration into the soil is constructed in a quasi-one-dimensional approximation. Some specific features of spreading with allowance for the vegetation type are considered. Under the assumption that the dependence of the resistance force on the spreading velocity is linear or quadratic, the system of equations of liquid motion on the surface with dense and scarce vegetation is reduced to one nonlinear equation. Approximate analytical solutions for constant-power sources are obtained. A situation with no plants on the surface (i.e., the hydraulic resistance of the surface is determined by specific features of the soil) is analyzed.     

Isothermal extrusion of non-dilute fiber suspensions

The extrusion of a rod-like fiber suspension is a Newtonian solvent, as a first step to the fast and inexpensive production of composite materials, is investigated. The analysis is carried out by means of an integral constitutive equation for a non-dilute suspension, streamlined finite element for liquid with memory, and Newton iteration of nonlinear integro-differential equations. The predictions show substantial differences between dilute and nondilute fiber suspension regarding the processing conditions (pressure drop, velocity distribution, die-swell) and the resulting fiber orientation. Nondilute fiber suspensions exhibit substantial shear-thinning and negligible elasticity as evidenced by the small die-swell, and fiber concentration viscosity-thickening as evidenced by the large pressure drop. The fiber orientation is computed by solving the orientation distribution function along selected streamlines of the complex velocity field. It is shown that the fiber orientation far downstream can be made independent of the random fiber orientation at the inlet.     

Nonaxisymmetric equilibrium shapes of a drop on a plane

A nonuniform temperature distribution, the presence of surface-active substances and impurities, and also other factors lead to a change in the wetting angle along a plane. A study is made of the influence of a small perturbation of the equilibrium contact angle on the shape of the free surface of the liquid. Two cases are considered: a surface of small slope in a gravity field and a nearly spherical shape under conditions of weightlessness. The equilibrium shapes of a liquid drop on an inclined plane under conditions of hysteresis of the wetting are also obtained.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 164–167, July–August, 1983.I thank I. E. Tarapov and I, I, Ievlev for constant interest in the work and valuable comments.     

Impact of a body with a plane bottom on a thin liquid layer at a small angle

The problem of the impact of a body with a plane bottom (of the type of a box) on a thin liquid layer at a small angle is solved in the two-dimensional formulation. The nonlinear shallow water equations are used, together with the method of matched asymptotic expansions. It is found that at certain values of the input parameters of the problem the liquid pressure diminishes near the lower end of the body and becomes smaller than the atmospheric pressure, which results in liquid separation from the box bottom. The numerical results show that all input parameters of the problem have a considerable effect on the nature of body motion. The liquid separation effect on body motion is analyzed.     

Hydrodynamic interaction between a flat surface and an evaporating drop in its own superheated vapor in the case of small Reynolds and Knudsen numbers

An expression for the force of interaction between a flat surface and an evaporating drop moving along the normal to this surface is obtained in the approximation of the hydrodynamic lubrication theory. The gap between the surface and the drop is small. The effects of the slip, the temperature jump, and the evaporation rate of the drop on the time of variation of this gap are considered under the assumption that the temperature of the flat surface exceeds the boiling temperature of the drop.     

Spreading of a liquid over a plane rigid substrate in an electric field

The influence of an electric field on spreading of a thin conducting liquid layer over a plane rigid substrate is investigated theoretically. The conductivity of the liquid is assumed to be so low that the effect of the magnetic field of the currents generated in the liquid under the action of the electric field can be neglected. The spreading is assumed to be so slow that the quasi-steady approximation can be used to calculate the electric field strength which can be considered to be equal to zero inside the liquid. Equations that describe variations in the layer shape are obtained in the lubrication theory approximation. The general formulation of the problem is considered. The solution of the problem is obtained in parametric form when the effect of the gravity force and the surface tension can be neglected. Variations in the layer thickness along the substrate are so smooth that the charge distribution over its surface can be assumed to be the same as that over the substrate surface in the absence of the liquid.     

Developed steady wave motions of a liquid film falling along a vertical plane

The falling of a thin viscous fluid layer (film) along a vertical plane under the effect of gravity is accompanied by wave motions in which capillary forces play an essential part. An equation for the film thickness h(x, t) is used extensively in analyses of these motions. This equation, obtained from the Navier—Stokes equations and the boundary conditions under different assumptions, reduces to an ordinary third-order nonlinear differential equation [1–7] for steady plane motions. Periodic solutions of this equation were sought by the methods of asymptotic expansions in the amplitude or by Fourier series expansions [1–7], which assumes a sequential accounting of the nonlinearity as a small perturbation. This limits the validity of the results obtained to the domain of small amplitudes. The case of arbitrary amplitudes is considered in this paper. A solution of the problem, based on an asymptotic expansion in the parameter ε is constructed. In this expansion the equation for the first approximation remains nonlinear but admits of integration, which discloses the class of bounded periodic solutions. Moreover, strict integral relations (for any ε) are obtained, and a variational problem about seeking the lower bound of values of the mean film thickness and other characteristics of the ultimately developed optimal motions is formulated and solved on their basis. The results obtained agree with experiments.     

Free nonlinear oscillations of a thermally relaxing spherical gas bubble in an incompressible liquid

The quasi-adiabatic regime of free oscillation of a bubble in the presence of irreversible interphase heat transfer between the bubble and the ambient liquid is studied. On the basis of simplified model equations of a rarefield bubble mixture, a nonlinear-oscillation equation of the relaxation type is obtained. In constructing an exact particular solution of this equation, the heat transfer law associated with bubble compression is established. For studying the harmonic oscillations, the Krylov-Bogolyubov-Mitropol’skii asymptotic method is used. It is shown that, for a small bubble, the viscosity and heat transfer effects are of the same order. For a small bubble, the influence of these effects on the formation of the natural-oscillation frequency, which is small in the linear approximation, may be significant in the nonlinear formulation. For a large bubble, the influence of these effects is negligible in both approximations. For the approximate solution of the nonlinear equation, a uniformly valid second-order expansion is constructed.