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arXiv · 2510.02220

Bouncing to coalescence transition for droplet impact onto moving liquid pools

Daniel M. Harris·Luke F. L. Alventosa·Oliver Sand·Eli Silver·Arman Mohammadi·Thomas C. Sykes·Alfonso A. Castrejon-Pita·Radu Cimpeanu
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Abstract

A droplet impacting a deep fluid bath is as common as rain over the ocean. If the impact is sufficiently gentle, the mediating air layer remains intact, and the droplet may rebound completely from the interface. In this work, we experimentally investigate the role of translational bath motion on the bouncing to coalescence transition. Over a range of parameters, we find that the relative bath motion systematically decreases the normal Weber number required to transition from bouncing to merging. Direct numerical simulations demonstrate that the depression created during impact combined with the translational motion of the bath enhances the air layer drainage on the upstream side of the droplet, ultimately favoring coalescence. A simple geometric argument is presented that rationalizes the collapse of the experimental threshold data, extending what is known for the case of axisymmetric normal impacts to the more general 3D scenario of interest herein.

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Daniel M. Harris, Luke F. L. Alventosa, Oliver Sand, Eli Silver, Arman Mohammadi, Thomas C. Sykes, Alfonso A. Castrejon-Pita, Radu Cimpeanu. 2025-10-02. Bouncing to coalescence transition for droplet impact onto moving liquid pools. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.02220

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