arXiv subjects

Shahriar Afkhami

Publications and source records attributed to Shahriar Afkhami.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

A consistent treatment of dynamic contact angles in the sharp-interface framework with the generalized Navier boundary condition

In this work, we revisit the Generalized Navier Boundary condition (GNBC) introduced by Qian et al.\ in the sharp interface Volume-of-Fluid context. We replace the singular uncompensated Young stress by a smooth function with a characteristic width $\varepsilon > 0$ that is understood as a physical parameter of the model. Therefore, we call the model the ``Contact Region GNBC'' (CR-GNBC). We show that the model is consistent with the fundamental kinematics of the contact angle transport described by Fricke, Köhne and Bothe. We implement the model in the geometrical Volume-of-Fluid solver Basilisk using a ``free angle'' approach. This means that the dynamic contact angle is not prescribed but reconstructed from the interface geometry and subsequently applied as an input parameter to compute the uncompensated Young stress. We couple this approach to the two-phase Navier Stokes solver and study the withdrawing tape problem with a receding contact line. It is shown that the model allows for grid-independent solutions and leads to a full regularization of the singularity at the moving contact line, which is in accordance with the thin-film equation subject to this boundary condition. In particular, it is shown that the curvature at the moving contact line is finite and mesh converging. As predicted by the fundamental kinematics, the parallel shear stress component vanishes at the moving contact line for quasi-stationary states (i.e. for $\dotθ_d=0$) and the dynamic contact angle is determined by a balance between the uncompensated Young stress and an effective contact line friction. Furthermore, a non-linear generalization of the model is proposed, which aims at reproducing the Molecular Kinetic Theory of Blake and Haynes for quasi-stationary states.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Numerical Simulations of Nearly Incompressible Viscoelastic Membranes

This work presents a novel numerical investigation of the dynamics of free-boundary flows of viscoelastic liquid membranes. The governing equation describes the balance of linear momentum, in which the stresses include the viscoelastic response to deformations of Maxwell type. A penalty method is utilized to enforce near incompressibility of the viscoelastic media, in which the penalty constant is proportional to the viscosity of the fluid. A finite element method is used, in which the slender geometry representing the liquid membrane, is discretized by linear three-node triangular elements under plane stress conditions. Two applications of interest are considered for the numerical framework provided: shear flow, and extensional flow in drawing processes.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

Thin viscoelastic dewetting films of Jeffreys type subjected to gravity and substrate interactions

This work presents a study of the interfacial dynamics of thin viscoelastic films subjected to the gravitational force and substrate interactions induced by the disjoining pressure, in two spatial dimensions. The governing equation is derived as a long-wave approximation of the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible viscoelastic liquids under the effect of gravity, with the Jeffreys model for viscoelastic stresses. For the particular cases of horizontal or inverted planes, the linear stability analysis is performed to investigate the influence of the physical parameters involved on the growth rate and length scales of instabilities. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear regime of the dewetting process are presented for the particular case of an inverted plane. Both gravity and the disjoining pressure are found to affect not only the length scale of instabilities, but also the final configuration of dewetting, by favoring the formation of satellite droplets, that are suppressed by the slippage with the solid substrate.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Challenges of Numerical Simulation of Dynamic Wetting Phenomena: A Review

Wetting is fundamental to many technological applications that involve the motion of the fluid-fluid interface on a solid. While static wetting is well understood in the context of thermodynamic equilibrium, dynamic wetting is more complicated in that liquid interactions with a solid phase, possibly on molecular scales, can strongly influence the macroscopic scale dynamics. The problem with continuum models of wetting phenomena is then that they ought to be augmented with microscopic models to describe the molecular neighborhood of the moving contact line. In this review, widely used models for the computation of wetting flows are summarized first, followed by an overview of direct numerical simulations based on the Volume-of-Fluid approach. Recent developments in the Volume-of-Fluid simulations of the wetting are then reviewed, with a particular attention paid on combining macro-scale simulations with the hydrodynamic theory near the moving contact line, as well as including a microscopic description by coupling with the van der Waals interface model. Finally, the extension to modeling the contact line motion on non-flat surfaces is surveyed, followed by hot topics in nucleate boiling.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Pore-scale direct numerical simulation of Haines jumps in a porous media model

Direct numerical simulations are presented for a porous media model consisting of two immiscible fluids, an invading and defending phase, in a two-dimensional micro-geometry filled with randomly sized and randomly distributed cylinders. First, interface instability and penetration modes are studied when varying the wetting features of a single pore in the porous medium. It is found that the displacement patterns not only change with the capillary number, as previously observed, but also are a function of the contact angle, even for a viscosity ratio of unity. This is an important conclusion suggesting that capillary number and viscosity ratio alone cannot completely describe the pore-scale displacement. Second, rapid pore-scale displacement is considered, where the displacements are accompanied by sudden interface jumps from one site to another, known as Haines jumps. The characteristic time and length scales of a Haines jump are examined to better understand the transient dynamics of the jump. We then focus on analyzing the Haines jump in a simple pore configuration where cylinders of equal size are placed at the vertices of equilateral triangles. We use this geometry to provide more insight into the effect of the contact angle at which the Haines jump is predicted.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2017

Influence of thermal effects on stability of nanoscale films and filaments on thermally conductive substrates

We consider films and filaments of nanoscale thickness on thermally conductive substrates exposed to external heating. Particular focus is on metal films exposed to laser irradiation. Due to short length scales involved, the absorption of heat in the metal is directly coupled to the film evolution, since the absorption length and the film thickness are comparable. Such a setup requires self-consistent consideration of fluid mechanical and thermal effects. We approach the problem via Volume-of-Fluid based simulations that include destabilizing liquid metal-solid substrate interaction potentials. These simulations couple fluid dynamics directly with the spatio-temporal evolution of the temperature field both in the fluid and in the substrate. We focus on the influence of the temperature variation of material parameters, in particular of surface tension and viscosity. Regarding variation of surface tension with temperature, the main finding is that while Marangoni effect may not play a significant role in the considered setting, the temporal variation of surface tension (modifying normal stress balance) is significant and could lead to complex evolution including oscillatory evolution of the liquid metal-air interface. Temperature variation of film viscosity is also found to be relevant. Therefore, the variations of surface tensions and viscosity could both influence the emerging wavelengths in experiments. In contrast, the filament geometry is found to be much less sensitive to a variation of material parameters with temperature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Direct numerical simulation of variable surface tension flows using a Volume-of-Fluid method

We develop a general methodology for the inclusion of variable surface tension into a Volume-of-Fluid based Navier-Stokes solver. This new numerical model provides a robust and accurate method for computing the surface gradients directly by finding the tangent directions on the interface using height functions. The implementation is applicable to both temperature and concentration dependent surface tension, along with the setups involving a large jump in the temperature between the fluid and its surrounding, as well as the situations where the concentration should be strictly confined to the fluid domain, such as the mixing of fluids with different surface tension coefficients. We demonstrate the applicability of our method to thermocapillary migration of bubbles and coalescence of drops characterized by different surface tension.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2016

Interfacial Dynamics of Thin Viscoelastic Films and Drops

We present a computational investigation of thin viscoelastic films and drops on a solid substrate subject to the van der Waals interaction force, in two spatial dimensions. The governing equations are obtained within a long-wave approximation of the Navier-Stokes equations with Jeffreys model for viscoelastic stresses. We investigate the effects of viscoelasticity, Newtonian viscosity, and the substrate slippage on the dynamics of thin viscoelastic films. We also study the effects of viscoelasticity on drops that spread or recede on a prewetted substrate. For dewetting films, the numerical results show the presence of multiple secondary droplets for higher values of elasticity, consistently with experimental findings. For drops, we find that elastic effects lead to deviations from the Cox-Voinov law for partially wetting fluids. In general, elastic effects enhance spreading, and suppress retraction, compared to Newtonian ones.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

A volume of fluid method for simulating fluid/fluid interfaces in contact with solid boundaries

In this paper, we present a novel approach to model the fluid/solid interaction forces in a direct solver of the Navier-Stokes equations based on the volume of fluid interface tracking method. The key ingredient of the model is the explicit inclusion of the fluid/solid interaction forces into the governing equations. We show that the interaction forces lead to a partial wetting condition and in particular to a natural definition of the equilibrium contact angle. We present two numerical methods to discretize the interaction forces that enter the model; these two approaches differ in complexity and convergence. To validate the computational framework, we consider the application of these models to simulate two-dimensional drops at equilibrium, as well as drop spreading. We demonstrate that the model, by including the underlying physics, captures contact line dynamics for arbitrary contact angles. More generally, the approach permits novel means to study contact lines, as well as a diverse range of phenomena that previously could not be addressed in direct simulations.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2015

Interfacial deformation and jetting of a magnetic fluid

An attractive technique for forming and collecting aggregates of magnetic material at a liquid--air interface by an applied magnetic field gradient was recently addressed theoretically and experimentally [Soft Matter, (9) 2013, 8600-8608]: when the magnetic field is weak, the deflection of the liquid--air interface has a steady shape, while for sufficiently strong fields, the interface destabilizes and forms a jet that extracts magnetic material. Motivated by this work, we develop a numerical model for the closely related problem of solving two-phase Navier--Stokes equations coupled with the static Maxwell equations. We computationally model the forces generated by a magnetic field gradient produced by a permanent magnet and so determine the interfacial deflection of a magnetic fluid (a pure ferrofluid system) and the transition into a jet. We analyze the shape of the liquid--air interface during the deformation stage and the critical magnet distance for which the static interface transitions into a jet. We draw conclusions on the ability of our numerical model to predict the large interfacial deformation and the consequent jetting, free of any fitting parameter.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2013

A volume-of-fluid formulation for the study of co-flowing fluids governed by the Hele-Shaw equations

We present a computational framework to address the flow of two immiscible viscous liquids which co-flow into a shallow rectangular container at one side, and flow out into a holding container at the opposite side. Assumptions based on the shallow depth of the domain are used to reduce the governing equations to one of Hele-Shaw type. The distinctive feature of the numerical method is the accurate modeling of the capillary effects. A continuum approach coupled with a volume-of-fluid formulation for computing the interface motion and for modeling the interfacial tension in Hele-Shaw flows is formulated and implemented. The interface is reconstructed with a height-function algorithm. The combination of these algorithms is a novel development for the investigation of Hele-Shaw flows. The order of accuracy and convergence properties of the method are discussed with benchmark simulations. A microfluidic flow of a ribbon of fluid which co-flows with a second liquid is simulated. We show that for small capillary numbers of O(0.01), there is an abrupt change in interface curvature and focusing occurs close to the exit.

physics.flu-dyn↗