Exact solution for capillary interactions between two particles with fixed liquid volume

Abstract

The capillary interactions, including the capillary force and capillary suction, between two unequal-sized particles with a fixed liquid volume are investigated. The capillary interaction model is used within the Young-Laplace framework. With the profile of the meridian of the liquid bridge, the capillary suction, and the liquid volume as state variables, the governing equations with two-fixed-point boundary are first derived using a variable substitution technique, in which the gravity effects are neglected. The capillary suction and geometry of the liquid bridge with a fixed volume are solved with a shooting method. In modeling the capillary force, the Gorge method is applied. The effects of various parameters including the distance between two particles, the ratio of particle radii, and the liquid-solid contact angles are discussed.