A model for thermocapillary driven motion of liquid drops on an inclined plane

Abstract

Thermocapillary drop migration is driven by surface tension gradient. On an inclined plane, gravity acts as an additional force that can have a promoting or resisting effect depending on the thermal gradient direction. The present 2-D model extends Brochard and Chebbi models for thermocapillary migration of small drops on horizontal plates by accounting for Marangoni and Poiseuille flow components, while including the effect of gravity, acting in the case of inclines. The present treatment is based on fundamentals of conservation of mass and momentum transport, and uses the lubrication approximation and extended boundary conditions at the receding and advancing contact lines. A model for the dynamics of migration is provided, and an analytical solution is derived for drop migration dynamics and the critical angle of inclination.

Keywords

• Drop
• Migration
• Incline
• Model
• Thermal gradient
• Marangoni effect