Hydrodynamic instabilities of viscous coalescing droplets.
Droplets coalescing at a planar fluid-fluid interface are studied in detail in the Stokes regime with high speed photography. Attention is paid to the expansion of the interfacial bridge, formed between the droplet and interface, as it expands during the process. We report a hydrodynamic instability at the rim of the interfacial bridge. As the rim becomes unstable, it forms a series of tendrils which themselves become unstable and produce micron sized droplets. We show that rim stability depends on drop and medium viscosities as well as the rim geometry.
Aryafar
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Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Kavehpour
H P
HP