Scaling properties for ordered/disordered 2-D dry froths

Abstract

We investigate the evolutionary behaviour of a 2-D dry froth with initial ordered/disordered conditions corresponding, respectively, to monodisperse/polydisperse topological networks. Using the direct simulation approach, we discuss the scaling properties of the cell side distribution, f( n), and its second moment, μ 2, for various system sizes and initial structures. For the case of a highly ordered network, the introduction of disorder may be viewed in terms of “seeding” the froth system with a number of defects, d, where for d = 1 previous work has shown that stable conditions are not achieved. We find that the limiting behaviour here depends on the amount of disorder, where this is quantified by the proportion of non-uniform initial cells and the pattern of seeding. Our findings support the view that a quasi-scaling state exists for the highly ordered froth, in contrast to the universal scaling state of the disordered and low-ordered froth. In the light of these results, we briefly reconsider the question of transience for the early results of Aboav (1980).