Numerical study of low-speed droplets impacting on the fabric surface

Abstract

In this approach, the numerical model of the fluid dynamics of liquid droplets impacting on the fabric surface with VOF method is proposed. The results obtained by the proposed model are well in agreement with the experimental results. The mechanism of the liquid droplet morphological evolution is investigated by pressure distribution and velocity vector, and the obvious bubble entrapment, which cannot be observed in experimenal results, is captured by the proposed model. The evolution laws of the spreading factor and the contact angle at the liquid-porous interface are obtained and the reason why the contact angle is dynamic is analyzed. The effects of droplet diameter and impact velocity on the fluid flow characteristics are also discussed. Usually, droplet diameter increasing leads more dramatic shape distortion of the liquid droplet, and impact velocity increasing leads shorter time to reach the maximum spreading stage. Finally, based on the properties of the impacting droplet by the proposed model, the important references of optimizing the parachute design for severe weather are built.