Search
Menu
Lumencor Inc. - ZIVA Light Engine 3-24 LB

High-Speed Photography Reveals Secrets of Splashing

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
Daniel S. Burgess

Harold E. "Doc" Edgerton's stroboscopic photographs of the "coronet" splash formed by a droplet of milk falling onto a saucer have become iconic. Now physicists at the University of Chicago have found that the formation of the splash depends on the pressure of the surrounding gas, a finding that may have applications in fuel combustion, ink-jet printing, spray drying and industrial washing.

High-Speed Photography Reveals Secrets of SplashingThey used a Phantom v7.0 CMOS camera from Vision Research Inc. of Wayne, N.J., operating at 47,000 fps to image drops of three different liquids -- each 3.4 ±0.1 mm in diameter -- under four gases at pressures between 1 and 100 kPa. They observed that there exists a threshold pressure that scales with the viscosity of the liquid and the molecular weight of the gas, below which splashing does not occur. The image illustrates the behavior of ethanol droplets impacting a smooth glass substrate under the noted pressures of air.
Rocky Mountain Instruments - Laser Optics MR

Published: June 2005
coronet splashiconicindustrialResearch & Technologystroboscopic photographsTech Pulse

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.