Issue 20, 2022

Viscous coalescence of unequally sized spherical and cylindrical doublets

Abstract

A coalescence model is developed for pairs of unequally sized particles, assuming surface tension driven flow opposed by viscosity. The flow field is extensional, biaxial for spheres and planar for cylinders. The balance of surface energy and viscous dissipation results in a system of two ordinary differential equations for each of the two doublet shapes studied. The solution of the differential equations provides growth of neck radius (or width) as well as surface and cross-sectional area evolution. For an infinitely large size ratio, the model describes the coalescence of a sphere or a cylinder with a semi-infinite wall of the same material. The model is compared to some numerical simulations and experimental measurements available in the literature. The comparison to experiments includes PDMS spheres, macromolecule-rich droplets, spherical bitumen particles, and a smectic circular island with a meniscus.

Graphical abstract: Viscous coalescence of unequally sized spherical and cylindrical doublets

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
27 Jan 2022
Accepted
07 May 2022
First published
09 May 2022

Soft Matter, 2022,18, 4017-4029

Viscous coalescence of unequally sized spherical and cylindrical doublets

N. D. Polychronopoulos, L. Th. Benos, C. I. Stergiou, I. E. Sarris and J. Vlachopoulos, Soft Matter, 2022, 18, 4017 DOI: 10.1039/D2SM00129B

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