Dynamical Coupling between Connected Foam Films: Interface Transfer across the Menisci

Adrien Bussonnière, Evgenia Shabalina, Xavier Ah-Thon, Mickaël Le Fur, and Isabelle Cantat

Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 018001 – Published 3 January 2020

Abstract

The highly confined flow of the liquid phase, trapped between the gas bubbles, is at the origin of the large effective viscosity of the liquid foams. Despite the industrial relevance of this complex fluid, the foam viscosity remains difficult to predict because of the lack of flow characterization at the bubble scale. Using an original deformable frame, we provide the first experimental evidence of the interface transfer between a compressed film (or a stretched film) and its first neighbor, across their common meniscus. We measure this transfer velocity, which is a key boundary condition for local flows in foams. We also show the dramatic film thickness variation induced by this interface transfer, which may play an important role in the film thickness distribution of a 3D foam sample.