Marginal regeneration-induced drainage of surface bubbles

Abstract

When a soap film drains, marginal regeneration refers to the rise of patches that are thinner than the rest of the film. In this work the rise velocities and sizes of buoyant patches are measured and found to be in good agreement with a Rayleigh-Taylor like instability and a model based on a balance of gravitational and surface viscous forces, as suggested in the literature. Thus, in an environment saturated in humidity, to eliminate evaporation effects, marginal regeneration approximately describes the film drainage at the apex of a draining bubble.

Topics & Concepts