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The viscous catenary revisited: experiments and theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 July 2008

JOHN P. KOULAKIS
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont CA 91711, USA
CATALIN D. MITESCU
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Pomona College, 610 N. College Ave., Claremont CA 91711, USA
FRANÇOISE BROCHARD-WYART
Affiliation:
Laboratoire PCC Institut Curie/CNRS UMR 168, 11 rue P. & M. Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05
ETIENNE GUYON
Affiliation:
École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, Laboratoire PMMH/CNRS UMR 7636, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75231 Paris Cedex 05

Abstract

Detailed observations have been performed on the evolution of a viscous catenary, a rope of high-viscosity fluid suspended from two points falling under gravity. Stroboscopic imaging techniques are used to obtain the position and shape of the strand as a function of time. Depending on their initial thickness and profile, the filaments are observed to evolve into either a quasi-catenary, or other, more complex shapes. A conceptually simple, energy-based theory is developed and compared with observations. It is shown to describe reasonably, except for a scaling in the time scale, the catenary-like regime.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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