A mesh-dependent model for applying dynamic contact angles to VOF simulations

  • Authors:

  • S. Afkhami;S. Zaleski;M. Bussmann

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Mathematics and ICAM, 460 McBryde Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0123, USA;Institut Jean Le Rond D'Alembert, Case 162, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 75252 Paris Cédex 05, France;Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, 5 King's College Road, Toronto, Canada M5S 3G8

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Computational Physics
  • Year:
  • 2009

Quantified Score

Hi-index 31.47

Visualization

Abstract

Typical VOF algorithms rely on an implicit slip that scales with mesh refinement, to allow contact lines to move along no-slip boundaries. As a result, solutions of contact line phenomena vary continuously with mesh spacing; this paper presents examples of that variation. A mesh-dependent dynamic contact angle model is then presented, that is based on fundamental hydrodynamics and serves as a more appropriate boundary condition at a moving contact line. This new boundary condition eliminates the stress singularity at the contact line; the resulting problem is thus well-posed and yields solutions that converge with mesh refinement. Numerical results are presented of a solid plate withdrawing from a fluid pool, and of spontaneous droplet spread at small capillary and Reynolds numbers.