Drop properties after secondary breakup

Abstract

Drop properties during and after secondary breakup in the bag, multimode and shear breakup regimes were observed for shock-wave-initiated disturbances in air at normal temperature and pressure. Test liquids included water, n- heptane , ethyl alcohol and glycerol mixtures to yield Weber numbers of 15–600, Ohnesorge numbers of 0.0025–0.039, liquid/gas density ratios of 579–985 and Reynolds numbers of 1060–15080. Measurements included pulsed shadowgraphy and double-pulsed holography to find drop sizes and velocities after breakup. Drop size distributions after breakup satisfied Simmons' universal root normal distribution in all three breakup regimes, after removing the core (or drop-forming) drop from the drop population for shear breakup. The size and velocity of the core drop after shear breakup was correlated separately based on the observation that the end of drop stripping corresponded to a constant Eötvös number. The relative velocities of the drop liquid were significantly reduced during secondary breakup, due both to the large drag coefficients caused by drop deformation and the reduced relaxation times of smaller drops. These effects were correlated successfully based on a simplified phenomenological theory.