arXiv subjects

Roberto Zenit

Publications and source records attributed to Roberto Zenit.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

Pattern formation by droplet evaporation and imbibition in watercolor paintings

Watercolor or aquarelle is one of the oldest painting methods in which pigments suspended in an aqueous liquid are deposited over a substrate, typically an absorbing material such as paper. The physical processes which lead to pattern formation have not been studied in any depth, in spite of being closely related to flows in other contexts. Identifying and understanding these processes is of imperative importance to restore and preserve watercolor paintings. Here, we report an experimental study of the effect of the pigment concentration and paper humidity on the pattern formation derived from evaporation of droplets of watercolor paintings. Optical analysis reveals the formation of color gradients, stratifications, flat regions, borders, dendritic shapes, and radial tips. We found that droplet evaporation on dry paper forms ring-shaped stains which resemble to the \emph{coffee-stain effect} regardless of the nature of the pigment. The mean pixel intensity of such deposits follows an exponential function that saturates at high concentration, while the thickness of the coffee ring increase for watercolor inks containing colloidal particles and does not change for non-colloidal . Our experiments reveal that water distribution on the paper surface, and not the volumetric absorption of water on the paper, determine the structural characteristics of watercolor stains. We show evidence that the cornerstone in the creation of complex patterns in watercolor paintings is driven by the coffee ring effect and imbibition processes. Our findings aim to serve as framework for further investigations of the complex processes involved in this ancient art form and could guide restoration processes needed to preserve the heritage value of historical watercolor artworks.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2018

The fluid mechanics of bubbly drinks

Bubbly drinks are surprisingly attractive. There is something about the nature of the these beverages that make them preferable among other choices. In this article we explore the physics involved in this particular kind of two-phase, mass-transfer-driven flows.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Effects of inertia and turbulence on rheological measurements of neutrally-buoyant suspensions

For low-Reynolds number shear-flows of neutrally-buoyant suspensions, the shear stress is often modeled using an effective viscosity that depends only on the solid fraction. As the Reynolds number ($Re$) is increased and inertia becomes important, the effective viscosity also depends on the Reynolds number itself. The current experiments measure the torque for flows of neutrally-buoyant particles in a coaxial-cylinder rheometer for solid fractions, $ϕ$, from 10\% to 50\% and Reynolds numbers based on particle diameter from 2 to 1,000. For experiments for Reynolds of O(10) and solid fractions less than $30\%$, the effective viscosity increases with Reynolds number, in good agreement with recent numerical simulations found in the literature. At higher solid fractions over the same range of $Re$, the results show a decrease in torque with shear rate. For Reynolds numbers greater than 100 and lower solids concentrations, the effective viscosity continues to increase with Reynolds number. However, based on comparisons with pure fluid measurements the increase in the measured effective viscosity results from the transition to turbulence. The particles augment the turbulence by increasing the magnitude of the measured torques and causing the flow to transition at lower Reynolds numbers. For the highest solid fractions, the measurements show a significant increase in the magnitude of the torques, but the effective viscosity is independent of Reynolds number.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Helical propulsion in shear-thinning fluids

Swimming microorganisms often have to propel in complex, non-Newtonian fluids. We carry out experiments with self-propelling helical swimmers driven by an externally rotating magnetic field in shear-thinning, inelastic fluids. Similarly to swimming in a Newtonian fluid, we obtain for each fluid a locomotion speed which scales linearly with the rotation frequency of the swimmer, but with a prefactor which depends on the power index of the fluid. The fluid is seen to always increase the swimming speed of the helix, up to 50% faster and thus the strongest of such type reported to date. The maximum relative increase for a fluid power index of around 0.6. Using simple scalings, we argue that the speed increase is not due to the local decrease of the flow viscosity around the helical filament but hypothesise instead that it originates from confinement-like effect due to viscosity stratification around the swimmer.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2014

Viscous pumping inspired by flexible propulsion

Fluid-suspended microorganisms have evolved different swimming and feeding strategies in order to cope with an environment dominated by viscous effects. For instance ciliated organisms rely on the collective motion of flexible appendices to move and feed. By performing a non-reciprocal motion, flexible filaments can produce a net propulsive force, or pump fluid, in the absence of inertia. Inspired by such fundamental concept, we propose a strategy to produce macroscopic pumping and mixing in creeping flow. We measure experimentally the net motion of a Newtonian viscous fluid induced by the reciprocal motion of a flapper. When the flapper is rigid no net motion is induced. In contrast, when the flapper is made of a flexible material, a net fluid pumping is measured. We quantify the effectiveness of this pumping strategy and show that optimal pumping is achieved when the length of the flapper is on the same order as the elasto-hydrodynamic penetration length. We finally discuss the possible applications of flexible impellers in mixing operations at low Reynolds numbers.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2013

Fluid juggling

This fluid dynamics video is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion for the 66th Annual Meeting of the Fluid Dynamics Division of the American Physical Society. We show the curious behaviour of a light ball interacting with a liquid jet. For certain conditions, a ball can be suspended into a slightly inclined liquid jet. We studied this phenomenon using a high speed camera. The visualizations show that the object can be `juggled' for a variety of flow conditions. A simple calculation showed that the ball remains at a stable position due to a Bernoulli-like effect. The phenomenon is very stable and easy to reproduce.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2013

Fluid elasticity increases the locomotion of flexible swimmers

We conduct experiments with flexible swimmers to address the impact of fluid viscoelasticity on their locomotion. The swimmers are composed of a magnetic head actuated in rotation by a frequency-controlled magnetic field and a flexible tail whose deformation leads to forward propulsion. We consider both viscous Newtonian and glucose-based Boger fluids with similar viscosities. We find that the elasticity of the fluid systematically enhances the locomotion speed of the swimmer, and that this enhancement increases with Deborah number. Using Particle Image Velocimetry to visualize the flow field, we find a significant difference in the amount of shear between the rear and leading parts of the swimmer head. We conjecture that viscoelastic normal stresses lead to a net elastic forces in the swimming direction and thus a faster swimming speed.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Droplets bouncing over a vibrating fluid layer

This is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 65st Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD (fluid dynamics video). This video shows the motion of levitated liquid droplets. The levitation is produced by the vertical vibration of a liquid container. We made visualizations of the motion of many droplets to study the formation of clusters and their stability.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Siquieros accidental painting technique: a fluid mechanics point of view

This is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 65th Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD (fluid dynamics video). This video shows an analysis of the 'accidental painting' technique developed by D.A. Siqueiros, a famous Mexican muralist. We reproduced the technique that he used: pouring layers of paint of different colors on top of each other. We found that the layers mix, creating aesthetically pleasing patterns, as a result of a Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Due to the pigments used to give paints their color, they can have different densities. When poured on top of each other, if the top layer is denser than the lower one, the viscous gravity current undergoes unstable as it spread radially. We photograph the process and produced slowed-down video to visualize the process.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2010

Oil filaments produced by an impeller in a water stirred thank

In this video, the mechanism followed to disperse an oil phase in water using a Scaba impeller in a cylindrical tank is presented. Castor oil (viscosity = 500 mPas) is used and the Reynolds number was fixed to 24,000. The process was recorded with a high-speed camera. Initially, the oil is at the air water interface. At the beginning of the stirring, the oil is dragged into the liquid bulk and rotates around the impeller shaft, then is pushed radially into the flow ejected by the impeller. In this region, the flow is turbulent and exhibits velocity gradients that contribute to elongate the oil phase. Viscous thin filaments are generated and expelled from the impeller. Thereafter, the filaments are elongated and break to form drops. This process is repeated in all the oil phase and drops are incorporated into the dispersion. Two main zones can be identified in the tank: the impeller discharge characterized by high turbulence and the rest of the flow where low velocity gradients appear. In this region surface forces dominate the inertial ones, and drops became spheroidal.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2010

Formation and displacement of bubbles in a packed bed

The fluid dynamics video show a gas stream which is injected into a packed bed immersed in water and fluid dynamcis video present the dynamics involved. The refractive index of the water an the packed bed are quite similar and the edges of the spherical particles can be seen. Two distinctive regimens can be observed. The first one, for low air flow rates, which is characterized by the percolation of the air thought the interstitial space among particles. And the second one, for high air flow rates, which is characterized by the accumulation of air inside the packed bed without percolation, it can be observed that the bubble pull apart the particles apart. Furthermore, for the first case the position of the particles remains constant while for the second one a circulation of particles is induced by the bubbles flow.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2009

Non-Newtonian sink flow cusps

This is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 62st Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD (fluid dynamics videos). This video shows the formation of sharps cusps in the interface of a viscoelastic liquid with air considering a selective withdrawal device. We found that a wide variety of shapes can be observed, similar to those appearing in the rear of air bubbles ascending in non-Newtonian liquids.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2009

Superheated water drops in hot oil

Drops of water at room temperature were released in hot oil, which had a temperature higher than that of the boiling point of water. Initially, the drop temperature increases slowly mainly due to heat transfer diffusion; convective heat transfer is small because the motion takes place at a small Reynolds number. Once the drop reaches the bottom of the container, it sticks to the surface with a certain contact angle. Then, a part of the drop vaporizes: the nucleation point may appear at the wall, the interface or the bulk of the drop. The vapor expands inside the drop and deforms its interface. The way in which the vapor expands, either smooth or violent, depends on the location of the nucleation point and oil temperature. Furthermore, for temperatures close to the boiling point of water, the drops are stable (overheated); the vaporization does not occur spontaneously but it may be triggered with an external perturbation. In this case the growth of the vapor bubble is rather violent. Many visualization for different conditions will be shown and predictions of the growth rate will be discussed.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2008

The bounce-splash of a viscoelastic drop

This is an entry for the Gallery of Fluid Motion of the 61st Annual Meeting of the APS-DFD (fluid dynamics videos). This video shows the collision and rebound of viscoelastic drops against a solid wall. Using a high speed camera, the process of approach, contact and rebound of drops of a viscoelastic liquid is observed. We found that these drops first splash, similar to what is observed in Newtonian colliding drops; after a few instants, the liquid recoils, recovering its original drop shape and bounce off the wall.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2008

Rodless Weissenberg effect

The climbing effect of a viscoelastic fluid when stirred by a spinning rod is well documented and known as Weissenberg effect(Wei et al, 2006). This phenomenon is related to the elasticity of the fluid. We have observed that this effect can appear when the fluid is stirred without a rod. In this work, a comparison of the flow around a spinning disk for a Newtonian and a non-Newtonian liquids is presented. The flow is visualized with ink and small bubbles as fluid path tracers. For a Newtonian fluid, at the center of the spinning disk, the fluid velocity is directed towards the disk (sink flow); on the other hand, for a viscoelatic liquid, a source flow is observed since the fluid emerges from the disk. The toroidal vortices that appear on top of the disk rotate in opposite directions for the Newtonian and non-Newtonian cases. Similar observations have been reported for the classical rod climbing flow (Siginer, 1984 and Escudier, 1984). Some authors have suggested that this flow configuration can be used to determine the elastic properties of the liquid (Escuider, 1984 and Joshep, 1973).

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