Contact lines with a contact angle

2013 ◽  
Vol 718 ◽  
pp. 481-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. S. Benilov ◽  
M. Vynnycky

AbstractThis work builds on the foundation laid by Benney & Timson (Stud. Appl. Maths, vol. 63, 1980, pp. 93–98), who examined the flow near a contact line and showed that, if the contact angle is $18{0}^{\circ } $, the usual contact-line singularity does not arise. Their local analysis, however, does not allow one to determine the velocity of the contact line and their expression for the shape of the free boundary involves undetermined constants. The present paper considers two-dimensional Couette flows with a free boundary, for which the local analysis of Benney & Timson can be complemented by an analysis of the global flow (provided that the slope of the free boundary is small, so the lubrication approximation can be used). We show that the undetermined constants in the solution of Benney & Timson can all be fixed by matching the local and global solutions. The latter also determines the contact line’s velocity, which we compute among other characteristics of the global flow. The asymptotic model derived is used to examine steady and evolving Couette flows with a free boundary. It is shown that the latter involve brief intermittent periods of rapid acceleration of contact lines.

2007 ◽  
Vol 579 ◽  
pp. 63-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
JACCO H. SNOEIJER ◽  
BRUNO ANDREOTTI ◽  
GILES DELON ◽  
MARC FERMIGIER

The relaxation of a dewetting contact line is investigated theoretically in the so-called ‘Landau–Levich’ geometry in which a vertical solid plate is withdrawn from a bath of partially wetting liquid. The study is performed in the framework of lubrication theory, in which the hydrodynamics is resolved at all length scales (from molecular to macroscopic). We investigate the bifurcation diagram for unperturbed contact lines, which turns out to be more complex than expected from simplified ‘quasi-static’ theories based upon an apparent contact angle. Linear stability analysis reveals that below the critical capillary number of entrainment, Cac, the contact line is linearly stable at all wavenumbers. Away from the critical point, the dispersion relation has an asymptotic behaviour σ∝|q| and compares well to a quasi-static approach. Approaching Cac, however, a different mechanism takes over and the dispersion evolves from ∼|q| to the more common ∼q2. These findings imply that contact lines cannot be described using a universal relation between speed and apparent contact angle, but viscous effects have to be treated explicitly.


1996 ◽  
Vol 307 ◽  
pp. 167-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofan Li ◽  
C. Pozrikidis

The hydrostatic shape, transient deformation, and asymptotic shape of a small liquid drop with uniform surface tension adhering to a planar wall subject to an overpassing simple shear flow are studied under conditions of Stokes flow. The effects of gravity are considered to be negligible, and the contact line is assumed to have a stationary circular or elliptical shape. In the absence of shear flow, the drop assumes a hydrostatic shape with constant mean curvature. Families of hydrostatic shapes, parameterized by the drop volume and aspect ratio of the contact line, are computed using an iterative finite-difference method. The results illustrate the effect of the shape of the contact line on the distribution of the contact angle around the base, and are discussed with reference to contact-angle hysteresis and stability of stationary shapes. The transient deformation of a drop whose viscosity is equal to that of the ambient fluid, subject to a suddenly applied simple shear flow, is computed for a range of capillary numbers using a boundary-integral method that incorporates global parameterization of the interface and interfacial regriding at large deformations. Critical capillary numbers above which the drop exhibits continued deformation, or the contact angle increases beyond or decreases below the limits tolerated by contact angle hysteresis are established. It is shown that the geometry of the contact line plays an important role in the transient and asymptotic behaviour at long times, quantified in terms of the critical capillary numbers for continued elongation. Drops with elliptical contact lines are likely to dislodge or break off before drops with circular contact lines. The numerical results validate the assumptions of lubrication theory for flat drops, even in cases where the height of the drop is equal to one fifth the radius of the contact line.


2018 ◽  
Vol 840 ◽  
pp. 131-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Bradshaw ◽  
J. Billingham

Experiments have shown that a liquid droplet on an inclined plane can be made to move uphill by sufficiently strong, vertical oscillations (Brunet et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 99, 2007, 144501). In this paper, we study a two-dimensional, inviscid, irrotational model of this flow, with the velocity of the contact lines a function of contact angle. We use asymptotic analysis to show that, for forcing of sufficiently small amplitude, the motion of the droplet can be separated into an odd and an even mode, and that the weakly nonlinear interaction between these modes determines whether the droplet climbs up or slides down the plane, consistent with earlier work in the limit of small contact angles (Benilov and Billingham, J. Fluid Mech. vol. 674, 2011, pp. 93–119). In this weakly nonlinear limit, we find that, as the static contact angle approaches $\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}$ (the non-wetting limit), the rise velocity of the droplet (specifically the velocity of the droplet averaged over one period of the motion) becomes a highly oscillatory function of static contact angle due to a high frequency mode that is excited by the forcing. We also solve the full nonlinear moving boundary problem numerically using a boundary integral method. We use this to study the effect of contact angle hysteresis, which we find can increase the rise velocity of the droplet, provided that it is not so large as to completely fix the contact lines. We also study a time-dependent modification of the contact line law in an attempt to reproduce the unsteady contact line dynamics observed in experiments, where the apparent contact angle is not a single-valued function of contact line velocity. After adding lag into the contact line model, we find that the rise velocity of the droplet is significantly affected, and that larger rise velocities are possible.


MRS Bulletin ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 747-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lichao Gao ◽  
Alexander Y. Fadeev ◽  
Thomas J. McCarthy

AbstractThe wettability of several superhydrophobic surfaces that were prepared recently by simple, mostly single-step methods is described and compared with the wettability of surfaces that are less hydrophobic. We explain why two length scales of topography can be important for controlling the hydrophobicity of some surfaces (the lotus effect). Contact-angle hysteresis (difference between the advancing, θA, and receding, θR, contact angles) is discussed and explained, particularly with regard to its contribution to water repellency. Perfect hydrophobicity (θA/θR = 180°/180°) and a method for distinguishing perfectly hydrophobic surfaces from those that are almost perfectly hydrophobic are described and discussed. The Wenzel and Cassie theories, both of which involve analysis of interfacial (solid/liquid) areas and not contact lines, are criticized. Each of these related topics is addressed from the perspective of the three-phase (solid/liquid/vapor) contact line and its dynamics. The energy barriers for movement of the three-phase contact line from one metastable state to another control contact-angle hysteresis and, thus, water repellency.


1990 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 53-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Weinstein ◽  
E. B. Dussan ◽  
Lyle H. Ungar

The problem of viscous fingering in a Hele-Shaw cell with moving contact lines is considered. In contrast to the usual situation where the displaced fluid coats the solid surface in the form of thin films, here, both the displacing and the displaced fluids make direct contact with the solid. The principal differences between these two situations are in the ranges of attainable values of the gapwise component of the interfacial curvature (the component due to the bending of the fluid interface across the small gap of the Hele-Shaw cell), and in the introduction of two additional parameters for the case with moving contact lines. These parameters are the receding contact angle, and the sensivity of the dynamic angle to the speed of the contact line. Our objective is the prediction of the shape and widths of the fingers in the limit of small capillary number, Uμ/σ. Here, U denotes the finger speed, μ denotes the dynamic viscosity of the more viscous displaced fluid, and σ denotes the surface tension of the fluid interface. As might be expected, there are similarities and differences between the two problems. Despite the fact that different equations arise, we find that they can be analysed using the techniques introduced by McLean & Saffman and Vanden-Broeck for the thin-film case. The nature of the multiplicity of solutions also appears to be similar for the two problems. Our results indicate that when contact lines are present, the finger shapes are sensitive to the value of the contact angle only in the vicinity of its nose, reminiscent of experiments where bubbles or wires are placed at the nose of viscous fingers when thin films are present. On the other hand, in the present problem at least two distinct velocity scales emerge with well-defined asymptotic limits, each of these two cases being distinguished by the relative importance played by the two components of the curvature of the fluid interface. It is found that the widths of fingers can be significantly smaller than half the width of the cell.


Author(s):  
Vladimir S. Ajaev ◽  
M. Markos Gebresilassie

We develop a mathematical model for heat transfer and fluid flow near a contact line on a heated surface in the presence of thermocapillary flow and evaporation. The coupled heat transfer and flow problem is reduced to an equation for local thickness, which is then solved numerically. The steady-state results indicate that thermocapillary stresses act to reduce the rate of liquid flow towards the contact line and increase interfacial curvature there. We also discuss solutions than involve moving contact lines, applicable to studies of start-up and shut-down operations of heat pipes. The velocity of the contact line and the apparent contact angle are found as functions of the Marangoni number. Thermocapillary effect is shown to reduce contact line speed and increase the apparent contact angle. Finally, the local solution is incorporated into global solutions for curvature variations of an evaporating three-dimensional meniscus in a corner. This configuration is typically encountered in proposed designs of micro heat pipes. Interface curvature is found as a function of the axial coordinate for the case of linear axial temperature variation in the corner.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (47) ◽  
pp. 14490-14494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine E. Jensen ◽  
Raphael Sarfati ◽  
Robert W. Style ◽  
Rostislav Boltyanskiy ◽  
Aditi Chakrabarti ◽  
...  

In the classic theory of solid adhesion, surface energy drives deformation to increase contact area whereas bulk elasticity opposes it. Recently, solid surface stress has been shown also to play an important role in opposing deformation of soft materials. This suggests that the contact line in soft adhesion should mimic that of a liquid droplet, with a contact angle determined by surface tensions. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observe a contact angle of a soft silicone substrate on rigid silica spheres that depends on the surface functionalization but not the sphere size. However, to satisfy this wetting condition without a divergent elastic stress, the gel phase separates from its solvent near the contact line. This creates a four-phase contact zone with two additional contact lines hidden below the surface of the substrate. Whereas the geometries of these contact lines are independent of the size of the sphere, the volume of the phase-separated region is not, but rather depends on the indentation volume. These results indicate that theories of adhesion of soft gels need to account for both the compressibility of the gel network and a nonzero surface stress between the gel and its solvent.


2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (04) ◽  
pp. 595-601 ◽  
Author(s):  
XINLI JIA ◽  
J. B. MCLAUGHLIN ◽  
G. AHMADI ◽  
K. KONTOMARIS

Contact angle hysteresis is caused by contact line pinning by geometrical and/or chemical non-uniformities on a solid surface. For small contact angles, theories have been developed for the pinning of contact angles, and an analogy between geometrical and chemical defects has been established. This paper presents LBM results for the interaction of a contact line with a spatially periodic array of chemical defects. The results are for finite contact angles. Qualitative comparisons with existing theories for chemical defects and experimental results for geometrical defects are made for pinned contact lines.


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