Capturing drops with a thin fiber.
We study experimentally the dynamics of drops impacting horizontal fibers and characterize the ability of these objects to capture the drops. We first show that a drop larger than a critical radius cannot be trapped by a fiber whatever its velocity. We determine this critical size as a function of the fiber radius. Then we show that for smaller drops, different situations can occur: at a low impact velocity, the drop is entirely captured by the fiber, whereas some liquid is ejected when arriving faster. We quantify the threshold velocity of capture.
Lorenceau
Elise
E
Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée, UMR 7125 du CNRS, Collège de France, 75231 Paris Cedex 05.
Clanet
Christophe
C
Quéré
David
D