Drop splashing on a dry smooth surface.
The corona splash due to the impact of a liquid drop on a smooth dry substrate is investigated with high-speed photography. A striking phenomenon is observed: splashing can be completely suppressed by decreasing the pressure of the surrounding gas. The threshold pressure where a splash first occurs is measured as a function of the impact velocity and found to scale with the molecular weight of the gas and the viscosity of the liquid. Both experimental scaling relations support a model in which compressible effects in the gas are responsible for splashing in liquid solid impacts.
Xu
Lei
L
The James Franck Institute and Department of Physics, The University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Zhang
Wendy W
WW
Nagel
Sidney R
SR