Symmetry-breaking in drop bouncing on curved surfaces

Abstract

The impact of liquid drops on solid surfaces is ubiquitous in nature, and of practical importance in many industrial processes. A drop hitting a flat surface retains a circular symmetry throughout the impact process. Here we show that a drop impinging on Echevaria leaves exhibits asymmetric bouncing dynamics with distinct spreading and retraction along two perpendicular directions. This is a direct consequence of the cylindrical leaves which have a convex/concave architecture of size comparable to the drop. Systematic experimental investigations on mimetic surfaces and lattice Boltzmann simulations reveal that this novel phenomenon results from an asymmetric momentum and mass distribution that allows for preferential fluid pumping around the drop rim. The asymmetry of the bouncing leads to ~40% reduction in contact time.

arXiv comment20 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (4)

• Pancake bouncing on superhydrophobic surfaces
• Drop Splashing on a Dry Smooth Surface
• Retraction dynamics of aquous drops upon impact on nonwetting surfaces
• Drop impact upon micro- and nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces

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• Wetting boundaries for ternary high density ratio Lattice Boltzmann Method
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• Multicomponent Flow on Curved Surfaces: A Vielbein Lattice Boltzmann Approach
• A solvable model of axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric droplet bouncing
• Cassie-Wenzel transition induced by localized freezing after droplet impact on supercooled micro-patterned surfaces
• Self-similar dynamics of air film entrained by a solid disk in confined space: a simple prototype of topological transitions
• Drop Impact on Two-Tier Monostable Superrepellent Surfaces
• Triggering flow asymmetry by lamella deflection during drop impact on superhydrophobic surfaces
• Reduced residence time of droplet impact on heated surfaces
• Viscous Dissipation, Helicity and Enstrophy of Bouncing Droplets undergoing Off-center Collision