Evaporation effects in elastocapillary aggregation

We consider the effect of evaporation on the aggregation of a number of elastic objects due to a liquid’s surface tension. In particular, we consider an array of spring–block elements in which the gaps between blocks are filled by thin liquid films that evaporate during the course of an experiment....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of fluid mechanics Vol. 792; pp. 168 - 185
Main Authors Hadjittofis, Andreas, Lister, John R., Singh, Kiran, Vella, Dominic
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 10.04.2016
Subjects
Evaporation
Fluid mechanics
Surface tension
Thin films
capillary flows
lubrication theory
interfacial flows (free surface)
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Summary:We consider the effect of evaporation on the aggregation of a number of elastic objects due to a liquid’s surface tension. In particular, we consider an array of spring–block elements in which the gaps between blocks are filled by thin liquid films that evaporate during the course of an experiment. Using lubrication theory to account for the fluid flow within the gaps, we study the dynamics of aggregation. We find that a non-zero evaporation rate causes the elements to aggregate more quickly and, indeed, to contact within finite time. However, we also show that the final number of elements within each cluster decreases as the evaporation rate increases. We explain these results quantitatively by comparison with the corresponding two-body problem and discuss their relevance for controlling pattern formation in elastocapillary systems.
ISSN:0022-1120
1469-7645
DOI:10.1017/jfm.2016.80