Spontaneous rupture of thin liquid films due to thermocapillarity: A full-scale direct numerical simulation

Abstract

Rupture dynamics of a thin liquid film on a heated substrate has been studied by integrating the fully-coupled nonlinear system of continuity, momentum, and energy equations. The system is solved using finite element method in an Arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) frame of reference to update precisely the motion of the moving free-surface. The results of these simulations are compared with those from the long-wave theory. Fully nonlinear process of spontaneous rupture due to thermocapillarity is shown for the first time.

Simultaneous thermal and surfactant-induced Marangoni effects in thin liquid films

“…In extreme cases it has been shown that the liquid layer behind the shock front can be forced to rupture either as a dry spot or into complex patterns [2,12]. For both Marangoni cases the growth mechanisms and evolution appear to be similar, but models describing the simultaneous effects of thermal and solutocapillary-driven flows have so far not been developed.…”

Long-wave Marangoni convection in a thin film heated from below

“…[13,14]. For the conductive substrate, a subcritical bifurcation takes place and film rupture occurs, which was evidenced within the direct numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations [15], within the lubrication approximation [16][17][18], and experimentally [18]. Recent work [19] demonstrated that a fractal structure of droplets emerges as the result of evolution.…”

Three-Dimensional Simulation of Instabilities and Rivulet Formation in Heated Falling Films

“…It is assumed that the mapping between P and wave speed and thereby solved a steady problem to spep is continuous, unique, and invertible: cifically study finite-amplitude saturated waves. Krishnamoorthy et al (1995) solved the full system and showed…”