title: The shape of soap films and Plateau borders.
abstract: We have calculated the shapes of flat liquid films, and of the transition region to the associated Plateau borders (PBs), by integrating the Laplace equation with a position-dependent surface tension γ(x), where 2x is the local film thickness. We discuss films in either zero or non-zero gravity, using standard γ(x) potentials for the interaction between the two bounding surfaces. We have investigated the effects of the film flatness, liquid underpressure, and gravity on the shape of films and their PBs. Films may exhibit 'humps' and/or 'dips' associated with inflection points and minima of the film thickness. Finally, we propose an asymptotic analytical solution for the film width profile.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Engenharia de Materiais and Instituto de Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais e Superfícies, Instituto Superior Técnico, Avenida Rovisco Pais, P-1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fortes
authors.forename: P I C
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Deus