Numerical Simulation of Droplets with Dynamic Contact Angles

Abstract

The numerical simulation of droplet impact is of interest for a vast variety of industrialprocesses, where practical experiments are costly and time-consuming. In these simulations, the dynamic contact angle is a key parameter, but the modeling of its behavior is poorly understood so far. One of the few models, which considers the overall physical context of the involved 'moving contact line problem' is Shikhmurzaev’s interface formation model. In addition to keeping the problem well-posed, all surface and bulk parameters, such as the contact angle, are determined as part of the solution rather than being prescribed functions of contact line speed. In this thesis, we couple an asymptotic version of the interface formation model with our three-dimensional incompressible two-phase Navier-Stokes solver NaSt3DGPF developed at the Institute for Numerical Simulation, Bonn University. With this sophisticated model, the droplet shapes, heights and diameters compare very well with those from a range of practical experiments.