Title: Capillary Flows of Suspensions

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2021 11:00AM-11:50AM

Abstract: Interfacial flows of multiphase systems containing a dispersed solid or liquid phase occur in a broad range of manufacturing,  environmental, and bioengineering processes. However, the classical capillary dynamics is strongly modified when the length scale of the liquid becomes comparable to the particle size. This configuration may lead to a failure of classical models based on a rheological approach. For instance, particles can destabilize thin-films, lead to defects in additive manufacturing, reduce transport efficiency, and result in the contamination of substrates. In this talk, I will present some of our recent studies that characterize the role of interfaces in suspension dynamics. I will first describe the formation of a thin-film of suspension on a substrate to illustrate how the particles are entrained and deposited depending on the flow configuration and suspension properties. I will discuss how these results can be used to develop passive capillary filtering and sorting
mechanisms. The second part of the talk will characterize how particles can modify the formation of droplets and the atomization of suspension  sheets and ligaments. Our approach, bridging different length and time scales, describes how the bulk behavior and local heterogeneities  contribute to the dynamics of multiphase capillary objects.