Influence of the aspect ratio of a drop in the spreading process over a horizontal surface

Abstract

We study in this paper the influence of the aspect ratio of an axisymmetric drop on the spreading rate. For very small values of aspect ratio, the spreading rate is proportional to the cube of the aspect ratio as stated by Tanner's law. However, as the value of the aspect ratio increases, the proportionality constant shows a weak dependence on the aspect ratio, first decreasing and then increasing after reaching a minimum. Due to the fact that the aspect ratio of the drop decreases with time in the spreading drop, its influence decreases as time increases. [S1063-651X(98)09109-0].