Drop impingement on a deep liquid surface: study of a crater's sinking dynamics

When there is a drop impact on a liquid surface, two phenomena can appear depending on the impact Weber number: either vortex generation or jet formation; in this paper the second behavior is dealt with. Based on the comparison of experimental and theoretical results, the dynamic of splashing drops on deep liquid surfaces is analyzed; this work focuses on the crater's evolution and its maximum. The liquids used are water and ethyl-alcohol. Drop impacts are made with various impact velocities by creating drops from several heights above the liquid surface. A straightforward model to describe and predict the crater's sinking evolution is proposed and agrees well with the experimental results over a range of Weber numbers from 50 to 1500. To cite this article: D. Brutin, C. R. Mecanique 331 (2003).