Influence of Drop Viscosity and Surface Wettability on Impact Outcomes

To understand the effects of liquid viscosity and surface wettability on the outcomes for a drop impacting perpendicularly on a dry, clean surface at a normal temperature and pressure, experiments were conducted for a wide variety of droplets and substrate surfaces. These experiments included a range of receding contact angles (from similar to 18 degrees to similar to 150 degrees) and liquid viscosities (from 1 cp to 45 cp); the broadest such combination is yet published. The surface wettabilities were quantitatively characterized using a new set of definitions: superphillic (c(rec) < 30 degrees), phillic (30 degrees < theta(rec) < 90 degrees), phobic (90 degrees < 150 degrees), and superphobic (theta(rec) > 150 degrees). Six different outcome regimes were found (including a new beaded deposition outcome) as a function of Ohnesorge number, Weber number, and the cosine of the receding contact angle. The beaded deposition is a hybrid of the well-known splash and deposition outcomes. The critical Weber number that separates the outcome boundaries was found to be significantly influenced by both the Ohnesorge numbers and the receding contact angle. In particular, there is a consistent reduction in the critical Weber number from superphilic to philic to neutral wettability conditions. Interestingly, this same decreasing trend line continues from neutral to phobic to superphobic conditions, but instead, it separates the regimes of deposition and bouncing. At higher Weber numbers, an additional boundary regime was found between splashing and bounce, which also decreased as the surface wettability decreased. This same type of trend was seen for several Ohnesorge numbers, indicating that wetting characterization should be based on the contact angles for the combination of the droplet liquid and the surface. In addition, a new regime map for droplet rebound on superphobic surfaces was obtained from the present and previous results indicating (for the first time) that the total rebound generally occurs for Weber numbers between 2.2 and 32 with Ohnesorge numbers less than 0.17. Additional studies are recommended to explore an even broader range of test conditions (especially intermediate wettability conditions), the separate influence of advancing and/or hysteresis contact angles, and to include the effects of the inclination angle, gas pressure, and heat transfer.

Automated summary

This study investigates the effects of liquid viscosity and surface wettability on the outcomes of a droplet impacting a dry, clean surface. Through a series of experiments, six different outcomes were observed and several trends were identified.