Control of oscillatory thermocapillary convection in microgravity

Laboratory and numerical experiments are underway to generate, and subsequently suppress, oscillatory thermocapillary convection in thin layer of silicone oil. The laboratory experiments have succeeded in characterizing the flow state in a limited range of Bond number-Marangoni number space of interest, identifying states of: (1) steady, unicellular, thermocapillary convection; (2) steady, multicellular, thermocapillary convection; and (3) oscillatory thermocapillary convection. Comparisons between experimental results and stability computations for a related basic state will be made

Control of oscillatory thermocapillary convection in microgravity

Issued as Federal cash transactions report, Monthly status report, Semi-annual status report, Performance reports [nos. 1-2], and Final report, Project E-25-X8

Non-Coalescence Effects in Microgravity

Non-coalescence of two bodies of the same liquid and the suppression of contact between liquid drops and solid surfaces is being studied through a pair of parallel investigations being conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Microgravity Research and Support (MARS) Center in Naples, Italy. Both non-coalescence and contact suppression are achieved by exploiting the mechanism of thermocapillary convection to drive a lubricating film of surrounding gas (air) into the space between the two liquid free surfaces (non-coalescence) or between the drop free surface and the solid (contact suppression). Experiments performed to date include flow visualization experiments in both axisymmetric and (nearly) two-dimensional geometries and quantitative measurements of film thickness in the contact-suppression case in both geometries

Kinetic Friction of Non-Coalescing and Non- Wetting Drops

This project has focused on the experimental determination of the frictional forces associated with noncoalescing and nonwetting systems. In particular, the focus has been on friction associated with an isothermal nonwetting droplet sliding on a solid surface. The nonwetting phenomenon is driven by the establishment of a thin (of order microns in thickness) layer of lubricating gas that is swept by viscous action into the space between the liquid and solid, preventing them from coming into contact. The mechanism has been described in the review article by Neitzel & Dell'Aversana (2002). The work performed under this NASA GSRP sponsorship extends work done by Dell'Aversana & Neitzel (2004) on the load-carrying capacities of thermocapillary nonwetting droplets for a given relative displacement of the two surfaces in question