| Abstract: | Experiments have been carried out to investigate the reorientation behavior of a free liquid surface in a partly filled right circular cylinder upon step reduction in gravity. In the initial situation the system is dominated by hydrostatic forces. In this case the equilibrium of the free liquid surface is generally characterized by a flat shape with a curvature at the cylinder wall given by the static contact angle. After transition to reduced gravity, capillary forces govern the flow and a capillary driven reorientation of the liquid to the new equilibrium position is established in a damped oscillation. The particular interest of this study is to determine the main characteristics of the surface oscillation as well as the behavior of the dynamic contact angle. |
