Numerical Simulation of Microdroplet Impact and Evaporation on a Solid Surface

Abstract

Microdroplet impact and evaporation on a solid surface, which is an integral part of an inkjet printing process, is studied numerically by solving the equations governing the conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and mass fraction in the liquid and gas phases. The deformed droplet shape is tracked by a sharp-interface level-set method, which is extended to include the effects of evaporation at the liquid–gas interface and dynamic contact angle at the liquid–gas–solid interline. The numerical results show that the droplet impact and evaporation pattern depends significantly on the advancing and receding contact angles. Also, the effect of cavity sidewall on the droplet motion is investigated.