Work

Experimental and theoretical study on the ceasing motion of a droplet manipulated by air-blowing nozzle

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In this study, the dynamic process of droplet moving with the substrate until blocked by air flow is investigated experimentally and theoretically. A sequence of experiments has been conducted to investigate the impacts of wetting properties , droplet volumes, air flow velocities, and droplet velocities. The substrate is driven by a linear motion motor to ensure the droplet moving at a certain velocity alongside the substrate. The air flow which is vertically injected from the nozzles towards the substrate is known as impinging jet. After air flow impacts the sub-strate, it will blow horizontally. When the direction of air flow is opposite to that of the droplet movement, a force will be exerted on the surface of the droplet. This action incurs the deformation of the droplet and the cessation of the its movement , eventually resulting in an equilibrium state. The droplet shape and motion processes are recorded by the high-speed camera. A mathematical model considering the effect of droplet contact angle, droplet size, droplet moving velocity and air flow velocity is established in the state of equilibrium. Correlation factors are used in the model for the the drag coefficient and air average velocity acting on the droplet. It is found that the air flow rate required to stop the motion of the droplet increases with the droplet moving velocity and the droplet size, but reduces with the enlargement of contact angle. The mathematical model, when equipped with suitable correlation factors, exhibits good agreement with experimental data and could potentially be utilized as a predictor of critical velocity for the cessation of the droplet motion.

Source: AIP Advances

DOI: 10.1063/5.0208630