Universal mapping of drop impact spreading from wetting to Leidenfrost regimes

Abstract

We establish a universal mapping between the maximum spreading of a drop under wetting and Leidenfrost impact conditions from an energy-dissipation perspective, with the latter featuring a stable vapor film between the drop and the substrate. Experiments and direct numerical simulations demonstrate that the mapping remains valid over two to three orders of magnitude in the Ohnesorge and Weber numbers. This framework provides a simple route for converting established predictions for wetting impacts into their Leidenfrost counterparts, with implications for predicting and controlling droplet impact.