(204d) Experimental and numerical estimation on a dynamic liquid bridge force adhered to three spheres

ABSTRACT Characteristics of the static and dynamic liquid brides adhered to spheres have been investigated by many researchers only in the case of two spheres which compose of the minimum component in a particle arrangement. However, the least particle arrangement formed by liquid bridge in the field of the fluidized granulation has been experimentally reported to an equilateral triangle layout of three spheres. Our study was carried out for estimating the shape and strength of a static and dynamic liquid bridge formed among three spheres. The experimental configurations of static drop shapes were compared with the computational results which were estimated to satisfy the minimum conditions for the total potential energy of drops and depended upon Bond number, which indicate the ratio of a liquid surface tension to gravity acting on a drop. A meniscus shape was simulated by finite element method in order to make a force balance between surface tension and shear stress acting on a liquid bridge surface. On the other hand the strength of a dynamic bridge due to the relative moving spheres were measured by a tensile strength apparatus and depended upon Ohnesorge number, which measures the importance of viscous forces relative to inertial forces. These results show the good agreements with the calculated viscous forces caused by the convection within a drop.