Deformation and removal of viscous thin film by submerged jet impingement

Abstract

In this work, for the first time, we characterize the deformation and removal dynamics of viscous thin films under submerged jet impingement using direct numerical simulation. The impinging jet deforms the thin film near the impingement region at the beginning until local removed region is formed. Subsequently, the removed region expands due to the shear stress imposed by the jet. At later times, we find that the film is removed in a quasi-adhesive removal mechanism, and its removal radius as a function of time, follows a scaling law with a universal removal rate for films over a wide range of viscosities. However, the kinetic constant of the removal scaling is highly dependent on the viscosity of the film. We also find that larger initial film thickness may change the removal mechanism, although the scaling law describing the removal rate still applies.