Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2013 Dec;88(6):063005. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.88.063005. Epub 2013 Dec 04.

Flow of a thin liquid film coating a horizontal stationary cylinder.

Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics

M Cachile, M A Aguirre, M Lenschen, A Calvo

PMID: 24483555 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.88.063005

Abstract

An experimental and theoretical study of the flow of liquid films around a stationary horizontal cylinder is reported. The film presents two different behaviors: The flow is stable in the upper zone (up to ∼150° with the vertical) and Rayleigh-Taylor-like instabilities appear in the lower zone. For the stable region, film thickness evolution could be described by numerically integrating an evolution equation obtained using a lubrication approximation. For the unstable region, a linear stability analysis allows us to determine the maximum growth wavelength for the Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Approximate analytical solutions were obtained for generatrices at an angle with the vertical θ=0 (stable region) and θ=π (where the instability appears).

Publication Types

• Journal Article
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't