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Aerodynamic deformation and breakup of wall-attached droplets in axisymmetric stagnation airflow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2025

Peng Kang Open the ORCID record for Peng Kang [Opens in a new window] ,
Jianfeng Guo ,
Kai Mu Open the ORCID record for Kai Mu [Opens in a new window] ,
Jianling Li Open the ORCID record for Jianling Li [Opens in a new window]  and
Ting Si Open the ORCID record for Ting Si [Opens in a new window]
Peng Kang
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
Jianfeng Guo
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
Kai Mu*
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
Jianling Li
Affiliation:
School of Power and Energy, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, PR China
Ting Si
Affiliation:
Department of Modern Mechanics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Kai Mu, mukai@ustc.edu.cn
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Abstract

The aerodynamic deformation and breakup of wall-attached droplets in axisymmetric stagnation flow are investigated experimentally. A vertical shock tube is used to generate the shock wave accompanying the post-wave airflow, and the axisymmetric stagnation flow is formed through the impingement of an air stream on a solid wall. For the wall-attached droplets with initially hemispherical profile, four typical droplet deformation and breakup modes can be identified with the continuous increase of the droplet local Weber number, which are the vibrating mode, the compressing mode, the sheet thinning mode and the shear-induced entrainment mode. Quantitative analyses of droplet evolution dynamics are also conducted for the compressing mode and the sheet thinning mode, and the significant differences of air flow separation at the droplet lateral surface between these two modes are revealed. The potential flow model and the energy conservation model are further developed to predict the entire droplet deformation processes. The vibrating frequency and amplitude of droplets under the vibrating mode are predicted by a spring-mass model, and the surface perturbation wavelengths of droplets under the shear-induced entrainment mode are estimated based on the dispersion relation of Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. This work is proposed to give potential guidance for regulating the aerodynamic fragmentation of wall-attached droplets in practical engineering applications.

JFM classification

Drops and Bubbles: Breakup/coalescence Aerodynamics: High-speed flow Compressible Flows: Shock waves

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Type
JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1007 , 25 March 2025 , A48
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Supplementary material: File

Kang et al. supplementary material movie 1

PIV measurement of the axisymmetric stagnation airflow field close to the solid wall.
Download Kang et al. supplementary material movie 1(File)
File 9.3 MB
Supplementary material: File

Kang et al. supplementary material movie 2

Side view of the aerodynamic deformation and breakup process of hemispherical droplets under four modes.
Download Kang et al. supplementary material movie 2(File)
File 1.5 MB
Supplementary material: File

Kang et al. supplementary material movie 3

Oblique front view of experiment results.
Download Kang et al. supplementary material movie 3(File)
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