Suppression of dripping from a ceiling

Burgess, John M. and Juel, Anne and McCormick, W.D. and Swift, J.B. and Swinney, Harry L. (2001) Suppression of dripping from a ceiling. Physical Review Letters, 86 (7). pp. 1203-1206. ISSN 0031-9007

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Abstract

An isothermal layer suspended from a surface is gravitationally (Rayleigh-Taylor) unstable. We find that, when a vertical temperature difference ΔT above a critical value (ΔT)c is imposed across the liquid-gas layer system (heated from below), the restoring force provided by the temperature-dependent surface tension (thermocapillarity) can stabilize the layer. Our measurements of the most unstable wave number for ΔT<(ΔT)c agree well with our linear stability analysis. The instability occurs at long wavelengths: the most unstable wavelength at (ΔT)c is infinite.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	PACS 2010, the AIP's Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme > 40 ELECTROMAGNETISM, OPTICS, ACOUSTICS, HEAT TRANSFER, CLASSICAL MECHANICS, AND FLUID MECHANICS > 47 Fluid dynamics PACS 2010, the AIP's Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme > 60 CONDENSED MATTER - STRUCTURAL, MECHANICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES > 68 Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and low-dimensional systems (structure and nonelectronic properties)
Depositing User:	Ms Lucy van Russelt
Date Deposited:	07 Aug 2006
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2017 14:12
URI:	https://eprints.maths.manchester.ac.uk/id/eprint/440

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