Abstract
We analyze shape oscillations of sessile water drops with fully mobile contact lines (CL) aboard the International Space Station. The unique microgravity environment enables the study of centimeter-sized droplets with associated inertial-capillary motions. Plane-normal substrate vibrations induce resonance behaviors quantified by frequency scans from which the natural frequencies and mode shapes are identified for nine different hydrophobic surfaces. Experimental observations agree well with, and validate, a recent spectral prediction of mobile CL sessile drop oscillations. The experimental findings help elucidate terrestrial droplet inertial spreading, a poorly understood phenomenon pervasive in many processes.
- Received 15 February 2022
- Accepted 11 July 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.084501
© 2022 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
synopsis
Water Droplets Shape-Shift on the ISS
Published 16 August 2022
Experiments in zero gravity show how a static droplet oscillates on a vibrating hydrophobic surface.
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