The nonlinear capillary instability of a liquid jet. Part 3. Experiments on satellite drop formation and control

Abstract

We continue the experiments of Chaudhary & Maxworthy (1980) to include the behaviour at and beyond the point along the jet at which individual drops interspersed with small satellite drops begin to form. In particular, we show how the perturbation wavenumber and amplitude for a fundamental disturbance alone combine to give a variety of modes of breakup into drops and a variety of patterns of drop recombination further downstream. We then show how the addition of a third harmonic to this fundamental can be used in a variety of parameter combinations to control the behaviour of the satellite drops and in some cases eliminate them completely.