# On spray formation

Abstract : We depict and analyse the successive steps of atomization of a liquid jet when a fast gas stream blows parallel to its surface. Experiments performed with various liquids in a fast air flow show that the liquid destabilization proceeds from a two-stage mechanism: a shear instability first forms waves on the liquid. The transient acceleration experienced by the liquid suggests that a Rayleigh–Taylor type of instability is triggered at the wave crests, producing liquid ligaments which further stretch in the air stream and break into droplets. The primary wavelength $\lambda\,{\sim}\,\delta (\rho_{1}/\rho_{2})^{1/2}$ is set by the vorticity thickness $\delta$, in the fast air stream and the liquid/gas density ratio $\rho_{1}/\rho_{2}$. The transverse corrugations of the crests have a size $\lperp\,{\sim}\,\delta {\We_{\delta}}^{-1/3} (\rho_{1}/\rho_{2})^{1/3}$, where $\We_{\delta}\,{=}\,\rho_{2}u_{2}^{2}\delta/\sigma$ is the Weber number constructed on the gas velocity $u_{2}$ and liquid surface tension $\sigma$. The ligament dynamics gives rise, after break-up, to a well-defined droplet size distribution whose mean is given by $\lperp$. This distribution bears an exponential tail characteristic of the broad size statistics in airblast sprays.
Document type :
Journal articles

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00014875
Contributor : Judith Hannoun <>
Submitted on : Wednesday, November 30, 2005 - 1:41:07 PM
Last modification on : Thursday, January 23, 2020 - 6:22:06 PM

### Citation

Philippe Marmottant, Emmanuel Villermaux. On spray formation. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 2004, 498, pp.73 - 111. ⟨10.1017/S0022112003006529⟩. ⟨hal-00014875⟩

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