Numerical simulation of water film edge dynamics

Fundamental contribution to the formation of sea spray under strong winds is provided by the bag-breakup phenomenon - rupture of film in the form of parachute [1]. Breaking of water film into droplets is caused, among other factors, by processes occurring on the free edge of the film moving under action of surface tension forces. The study of these processes will help to understand how characteristics of the film and the drops appearing after its rupture are related.

Using the Basilisk software package with Volume of Fluid advection scheme for interfacial flows, numerical simulation of three-dimensional water film placed in domain filled with air was carried out. The water film was placed into domain filled with air. One of the edges of the film is free, and the second is fixed on the left boundary of the domain; along the third coordinate, the boundary conditions are periodic. At the initial moment of time, the film is defined by a sheet with variable thickness - the upper boundary has the form of a cosine. The change in the shape of the film over time was recorded. It is revealed that the inhomogeneity of the film thickness leads to the appearance of a significant curvature of the edge of the film as it moves under the action of surface tension forces.

This work was supported by the RFBR grants (20-05-00322, 21-55-50005, 21-55-52005) and RSF grant 19-17-00209.

[1] Troitskaya, Y. et al. Bag-breakup fragmentation as the dominant mechanism of sea-spray production in high winds. Sci. Rep. 7, 1614 (2017).