Similarity solutions for capillary pinch-off in viscous fluids

Abstract

Recent interest in capillary breakup has focused on similarity solutions in various suggested dynamic regimes for the flow immediately before the pinch-off singularity. Provided molecular dimensions are not reached first, viscous dissipation in the surrounding fluid is asymptotically dominant over inertia, and both internal and external flows are governed by Stokes flow. Similarity solutions for pinch-off in this regime are obtained for different viscosity ratios m. The axial and radial scales of the pinching neck both decrease linearly with time to pinch-off and the intermediate asymptotic shape on either side of the neck is conical. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.