On the Equations of Capillarity

Some conceptual ambiguities in the derivation of the equations of capillarity on the basis of the principle of virtual work are addressed, and hypotheses are proposed toward obtaining a physically correct characterization in general circumstances. It is shown that under the hypotheses, the classical equations of capillarity for an interface of an incompressible fluid with a fluid of negligible density can be obtained on the basis of global phenomenological reasoning, without recourse to consideration of intermolecular attractions. More generally, the procedure is applied to derive the specific equations arising from a compressible fluid configuration with idealized pressure-density relationship in a capillary tube, and a general necessary condition for existence of a solution is established. It is shown that for symmetric domains, the condition is also sufficient for existence of a unique symmetric solution.