On self-similarity in the drop-filament corner region formed during pinch-off of viscoelastic fluid threads

A characteristic feature of pinch-off of fluid threads is the formation of drops connected to thinning filaments. This phenomenon is encountered in a number of widely used applications requiring the production of drops such as electronics microfabrication via inkjet printing, spray coating/drying, and microarraying. In pinch-off of viscoelastic fluid threads, the region that connects the drops to the filaments develops into a sharp corner. Recently, Clasen et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 556, 283-308 (2006)] showed that such a corner evolves self-similarly. They, however, neglected the capillary pressure in the drop. A modified similarity solution is presented here that incorporates the drop capillary-pressure term, and transient simulations of corner region profiles are shown to converge onto the new similarity solution better than that of Clasen et al. Indeed, the new similarity solution is valid in all the three regions: the drop, the corner, and the filament regions. Similarity solutions, so obtained, are particularly useful in capillary-breakup rheometry where they are employed to estimate a fluid's extensional viscosity-a material property of viscoelastic fluids that influences greatly the drop formation process. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4745179]