Transient Phenomena of Dynamic Contact Angle in Micro Capillary Flows

Abstract

This study is devoted to investigating the dynamics of liquid driven by capillary force in a circular tube. A microscope was used to visualize the meniscus movement and the contact angle. The experiments were carried out with glycerin–water mixtures with viscosity ranging from 0.21 to 1.36 Pa∙s by filling the test liquid in a borosilicate glass tube with an inner diameter of 200 μm. The wetting distances of the meniscus with time were compared with the theoretical solution by considering the dynamic variation of contact angle. The results show that the theoretical solution agrees well with experimental data due to the reflection of the actual dynamic contact angle for the transient motions in the developing entrance region. In view of momentum balance, variations of dominant force according to the time were determined by separated inertial periods, such as inertial, inertial-viscous, and viscous time stages.

Keywords

• capillary flow
• dynamic contact angle
• inertial force
• viscous force
• capillary force