Structures of a Continuously Fed Two-Dimensional Viscous Film under a Destabilizing Gravitational Force

C. Pirat, C. Mathis, P. Maïssa, and L. Gil

Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 104501 – Published 12 March 2004

Abstract

We study the gravity induced instability of a liquid film formed below a plane grid which is used as a porous media in an original hydrodynamic experiment. The film is continuously supplied with a controlled flow rate. We give through a phase diagram the full spectrum of the different flow regimes and we investigate the dynamics of the observed structures. True secondary instabilities of a 2D periodic pattern are described. The control parameters are the flow rate and the viscosity.