Droplet impact dynamics on an aluminum spinning disk

Abstract

Droplet impact on a spinning surface has been observed in different industries and plays an important role in the performance of industrial systems. In the current study, the dynamics of water droplet impact on a hydrophilic spinning disk is investigated. An experimental setup is designed in a way that droplet diameter, impact velocity, disk rotational speed, and location of impact are precisely controlled. While the droplet diameter is fixed in the present study, other mentioned parameters are changed and their effects on the droplet behavior are discussed. High-speed imaging is used to record the droplet dynamics under various operating conditions. It is demonstrated that after impact, droplet spreads on the surface due to a high adhesion between water and the hydrophilic substrate. It is indicated that the wetted area is a function of time, impact velocity, disk rotational speed, and centrifugal acceleration. Furthermore, depending on the mentioned parameters, different phenomena such as rivulet formation, fingering, and detachment of secondary droplet(s) are observed. In the angular direction, in general, the wetted length increases as time passes. However, in the radial direction, the droplet first spreads on the surface and reaches a maximum value, and then recedes until a plateau is attained. At this instant, a bulk of liquid, which is called wave in this study, moves radially outward from the inner boundary of the droplet toward its outer boundary due to the effect of centrifugal force. Once the wave reaches the outer boundary, depending on its size and momentum, fingers or rivulets are formed, and small droplet(s) may detach. The process is analyzed comprehensively, and different empirical correlations for wetted lengths in radial and angular directions, secondary droplet formation, number of fingers, the onset of fingering, and wave velocity are developed.