Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Stability Limits of Non-Axisymmetric Liquid Bridges under Microgravity Conditions

Abstract

The stability of nonaxisymmetric liquid bridges under microgravity conditions is investigated. The influence on the stability of an almost cylindrical liquid bridge of axisymmetric effects like its volume, a small axial acceleration acting on it, and unequal-diameter supporting disks, as well as that of nonaxisymmetric perturbations like small lateral acceleration and noncoaxial supporting disks, has been analyzed by using standard bifurcation techniques. An expression for the maximum length of a liquid bridge, including all the above-mentioned effects, has been obtained. In addition, the effect on the stability of liquid bridges having noncoaxial supporting disks has been experimentally studied within the constraints of an Earth laboratory by using millimetric liquid bridges. Analytical and experimental results show that each one of the nonaxisymmetric perturbations like the ones here considered (lateral acceleration and eccentricity) can be, from the point of view of stability, as critical as axisymmetric perturbations. In addition, it is demonstrated that when both nonaxisymmetric perturbations are not negligible, the coupling of both perturbations can be a stabilizing effect on the liquid bridg