Droplet formation under the effect of a flexible nozzle plate

Abstract

Droplet formation from a flexible nozzle plate driven by a prescribed-waveform excitation of a piezoelectric is numerically investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model with the volume of fluid (VOF) method. The droplet generator with a flexible nozzle plate, which is free to vibrate due to the pressure acting on the plate, is modeled in a CFD computational domain. The CFD analysis includes the fluid–structure interaction between fluid and a flexible plate using large deflection theory. The problem is characterized by the nondimensional variables based on the capillary parameters of time, velocity, and pressure. The CFD model is validated with the experiment results. This study examines the characteristics of the applied waveforms and nozzle plate material properties to change the vibrational characteristics of the nozzle plate. The effect of fluid properties on the droplet formation process is also investigated focusing on surface tension and viscous forces. Increasing the impulse of the piezoelectric can be used to cause a higher droplet velocity and it is shown that the vibration of the nozzle plate has a strong effect on the droplet velocity, shape, and volume. Surface tension has a strong influence on the droplet formation characteristics in contrast to viscous forces. For the combination of a fluid with high surface tension and the most flexible nozzle plate, this system cannot cause the droplet ejected out of the nozzle.