Extension of the natural element method to surface tension and wettability for the simulation of polymer flows at the micro and nano scales

Hubert Teyssèdre (1, 2) , Pierre Gilormini (2)

1 CEA-LETI - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives - Laboratoire d'Electronique et de Technologie de l'Information
2 PIMM - Laboratoire Procédés et Ingénierie en Mécanique et Matériaux

The natural element method is used to simulate two-dimensional viscous flows where interfacial effects must be taken into account, for application to polymer melts at the micro and nano scales. The variational formulation includes surface tension on the free surfaces, a net wetting force is applied at the contact line where the fluid reaches a solid surface, and the Navier-slip condition is used along fluid-solid interfaces. No dynamic wetting angle is prescribed, and the contact angle obtained results from the other material parameters and from overall flow conditions. A comparison with an analytical solution in a simple surface tension-driven flow is given, and contact with a rigid solid is involved in the transient spreading of a droplet and in the steady movement of a meniscus between two plates.

Mots clés: Polymers; Surface tension; Contact angle; Natural element method

Domaines: Matériaux; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]

Hubert Teyssèdre, Pierre Gilormini. Extension of the natural element method to surface tension and wettability for the simulation of polymer flows at the micro and nano scales. Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, 2013, 200, pp.9-16. ⟨10.1016/j.jnnfm.2012.10.003⟩. ⟨hal-00860109⟩