Numerical study of a hard sphere wetted by a spherical viscoelastic particle
Résumé
The wetting process of a hard sphere by a fluid particle is numerically studied using a Monte Carlo approach. A methodology different to that based on the Potts model is being developed in the framework of an energetic potential, which explicitly accounts for the interfacial energies as well as a cohesive energy of the fluid particle. The minimisation of the potential through random changes of the particle configuration enables the quantification of stress gradients within the particle induced by the surface curvature gradients as well as the induced mass fluxes. The physical constants considered for the calculation of the energetic potential correspond to a wetting angle equal to 30°, and ensure that the rheological behaviour, which is implicitly generated during the Monte Carlo procedure, is viscoelastic. An insight into the stress gradients and mass fluxes within the fluid particle at different stages of the wetting process is presented. The wetting kinetics are analysed and compared to the kinetics of the co-sintering process of two fluid particles.