Abstract
We study the onset of coalescence between two slender structures quasi-statically withdrawn from a liquid bath. When partially immersed, they interact with each other through the capillary force induced by their menisci. As they are removed from the bath, their dry length increases and they become easier to bend until the capillary force is strong enough to trigger contact. Surprisingly, the structures snap to contact from a finite distance at a critical dry length. The transition to coalescence is thus subcritical and exhibits a large hysteresis loop between two stable states. An analytical coalescence criterion is derived and agrees well with experimental data for rods and lamellae. This simple elastocapillary model is a first step to better understand the elastocapillary coalescence of slender structures in fluid capture systems.
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