Minimum volume stability limits for axisymmetric liquid bridges subject to steady axial acceleration

Abstract

In this paper the influence of an axial microgravity on the minimum volume stability limit of axisymmetric liquid bridges between unequal disks is analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The results here presented extend the knowledge of the static behaviour of liquid bridges to fluid configurations different from those studied up to now (almost equal disks). Experimental results, obtained by simulating microgravity conditions by the neutral buoyancy technique, are also presented and are shown to be in complete agreement with theoretical ones.

Experimental analysis of stability limits of capillary liquid bridges

“…Early studies concern liquid bridges between equal disks under gravitationless conditions, 1-5 whereas the influence of Bond number is the subject of more recent publications. 6 " 13 The influence on stability limits of disks of different diameters has also been considered. [13][14][15][16] Although the behavior at stability limit is qualitatively similar no matter if the diameters are equal or unequal, only liquid bridges between equal disks are considered in the following.…”

On the breaking of long, axisymmetric liquid bridges between unequal supporting disks at minimum volume stability limit

“…In addition, asymptotic results are compared with the exact theoretical ones [21,22], and with experimental results already published [20,21].…”

“…The combined effect of both unequal disks and axial gravity on liquid bridge stability was first studied by Meseguer [16] through a bifurcation analysis, and different improvements to such stability study, either theoretical or experimental, have been published later [17][18][19][20]. The most comprehensive results published up to now on the combined influence of unequal disks and axial gravity can be found in Perales, Meseguer and Martinez [21], where minimum volume stability limits are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally, and in Slobozhanin and Alexander [22], where the complete stability diagrams are calculated.…”

“…When two antisymmetric effects, like the ones stated above, act in opposite directions, the interface deformations associated to each one of the parameters will also be opposite, so that the interface neck will be in the upper or in lower half of the liquid column depending on the relative importance of the parameters involved. Although this problem was first analyzed, more than a decade ago, both numerically and experimentally [20,21], and the main features of the breaking process were outlined, no explanation on the different effects involved in the development of instabilities was given in these papers. Refined asymptotic analysis shows that for fixed values of the parameters under consideration (unequal disks and axial gravity), their relative importance depend on the disks separation.…”

“…The neck of the liquid column moves along the liquid bridge, from the upper to lower half and vice versa, as the disk separation varies. The neck migration is very accentuated when the fluid configuration is close to the local minimum volume which corresponds to the stability limit curve [20][21][22]. This implies a drastic change in the breaking dynamics of the liquid column.…”