Work

Gravity-driven flow of liquid bridges between vertical fibres

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Liquid bridges are formed when a flowing liquid interacts with multiple parallel fibres, as relevant to heat and mass transfer applications that utilize flow down fibre arrays. We perform a comprehensive experimental study of flowing liquid bridges between two vertical fibres whose spacing is controlled dynamically in our experimental apparatus. The bridge patterns exhibit a regular periodic spacing typical of absolute instability for low flow rates, but become spatially inhomogeneous above a critical flow rate where the base flow is convectively unstable. The shapes of individual bridges and their associated dynamics are measured, as they depend upon the liquid properties, and fibre geometry/spacing. The bridge length scales similarly to static bridges between parallel fibres. The bridge dynamics exhibits a dependence on viscosity and scale with the impedance. A simple energy balance is used to derive a scaling relationship for the bridge velocity that captures the general trend of our experimental data. Finally, we demonstrate that these scalings similarly apply when the fibres are dynamically separated or brought together.

Source: Journal of Fluid Mechanics

DOI: 10.1017/jfm.2024.794

Authors: Chase T. Gabbard, Joshua B. Bostwick

Institution: Clemson University

Language: English

Topic: Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer

Subfield: Computational Mechanics

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

Funder: Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation