Detachment of a single water drop

Abstract

The detachment process of a single water drop from a nozzle made of poorly wetted material is followed using high-speed video equipment. The formation and motion dynamics of various flow components are investigated. These are the drop itself; a liquid bridge (jumper), which connects the drop with the mother liquid; the primary satellite, which is formed from the jumper; and a microsatellite, which is thrown from the satellite and flies to the mother liquid. The strong influence of surface effects, under which the satellite initially moves upward and only at a certain time starts to fall along the ballistic trajectory, is established. Bounce of the microsatellite from the mother liquid, which precedes its absorption, is fixed. It is shown that a stable connection of the formation mechanism of satellites with the jumper dynamics opens the possibility of obtaining uniform-sized drops.