Lattice Boltzmann simulations of drops colliding with solid surfaces

Abstract

Video images of drops colliding with solid surfaces shown by Rioboo et al. (2002) reveal that, for large drop velocities, the drops flatten and form a ring structure before receding and, in some cases, rebounding from the surface. They described the sequence of events in terms of four distinct regimes. During the initial kinematic phase, the dimensionless wetting radius of the drop follows a universal form if the drop Weber and Reynolds numbers are sufficiently large. In the second phase, the drop becomes highly flattened and the values of the Weber and Reynolds numbers influence the time evolution of the dimensionless wetting radius and its maximum value. This is followed by a third phase in which the wetting radius begins to decrease with time and the wettability of the surface influences the dynamics. This paper presents simulation results for the early stages of drop impact and spreading on a partially wetting solid surface. The simulations were performed with a modified version of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) developed by Inamuro et al. (2004) for a liquid-gas density ratio of 1000. The Inamuro et al. version of the LBM was modified by incorporating rigid, no-slip boundary conditions and incorporating a boundary condition on the normal derivative of the order parameter to impose the desired equilibrium contact angle.