Impact and spreading of a viscoelastic droplet on a solid surface

Abstract eng:
The effects of viscoelasticity on impact and spreading of a drop on a solid surface are computationally studied. It is found that viscoelasticity favors advancement of contact line during the spreading phase leading to a slight increase in the maximum spreading in agreement with the experimental observations [5]. However, in contrast with the well-known anti-rebound effects of polymeric additives, the viscoelasticity is found to enhance the tendency of the drop rebound in the receding phase. These results suggest that the anti-rebound effects are mainly due to the polymer-induced modification of wetting properties of the substrate rather than the change in the material properties of the drop fluid. A model is developed to test this hypothesis. It is found that the model gives good qualitative agreement with the experimental observations and the anti-rebound behavior can be captured by modification of the surface wetting properties in the receding phase.

• Export as: BibTeX | MARC | MARCXML | DC | EndNote | NLM | RefWorks
• Add to your basket