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Early bounce of droplets on elastic plates: the role of momentum morphology and predictive modelling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2025

Yufei Ma Open the ORCID record for Yufei Ma [Opens in a new window]  and
Haibo Huang Open the ORCID record for Haibo Huang [Opens in a new window]
Yufei Ma
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China
Haibo Huang*
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Haibo Huang, huanghb@ustc.edu.cn
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Abstract

This study investigates droplet impact on elastic plates using a two-phase lattice Boltzmann method in both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) configurations, with a focus on rebound dynamics and contact time. The 2-D simulations reveal three distinct rebound modes – conventional bounce, early bounce and rim rising – driven by fluid–structure interaction. Among them, the early bounce mode uniquely achieves a significant reduction in contact time, occurring only at moderate plate oscillation frequency. Momentum analysis shows a non-monotonic relationship between vertical momentum transfer and rebound efficiency: increased momentum does not necessarily promote rebound if it concentrates in a central jet, which contributes minimally to lift-off. This introduces a novel rebound mechanism governed by momentum distribution morphology rather than total magnitude. A theoretical model treating the droplet–plate system as coupled oscillators is developed to predict contact time in the early bounce regime, showing good agreement with numerical results. The mechanism and model are further validated through fully 3-D simulations, confirming the robustness of the findings.

JFM classification

Aerodynamics: Flow-structure interactions Drops and Bubbles: Drops

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JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1022 , 10 November 2025 , A27
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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