Development of a continuum mechanical model for the description and simulation of the interactions between water droplet, microstructured substrate and pollutant particles during self-cleaning
Final Report Abstract
The project is concerned with the modeling and computational simulation of self-cleaning surface mechanisms. Four major project areas were initially defined, focusing on 1) the liquid membrane behavior, 2) surface and line contact of the membrane, 3) particle interaction, and 4) multiscale modeling. Additionally a second project was initiated through AICES funding in order to complement this project by the essential fluid mechanical aspects. Within the first project area, a new computational formulation for 3D liquid membranes has been developed that is very general and shown to be robust, accurate and efficient within computations. Within the second project area, a new computational contact formulation has been developed for liquid membranes that captures both surface and line contact on 3D rough surfaces. The formulation has been used successfully in the modeling of contact between liquid droplets and rough surfaces, accounting for general contact angles. The underlying theory of the computational formulation has even been extended to the case of contact between liquid membranes and deforming substrate surfaces. The formulations developed here have been used to conduct parameter studies in 2D, considering various contact angles and roughness parameters. Within the third project area, the interaction forces between particles and droplets have been formulated and (so far) partly included in the developed membrane model. The research initiated with this project is a continued research effort that has a very high potential for an economic usability in the future.
Publications
- (2013). Computational aspects of self-cleaning surface mechanisms. In Mittal, K. L., editor, Advances in Contact Angle, Wettability and Adhesion, pages 109–130. Wiley
Osman, M., Rasool, R., and Sauer, R. A.
- (2014). A computational formulation for solid and liquid membranes based on curvilinear coordinates and isogeometric finite elements. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg., 271:48–68
Sauer, R. A., Duong, T. X., and Corbett, C. J.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cma.2013.11.025) - (2014). A contact theory for surface tension driven systems. Math. Mech. Solids, published online
Sauer, R. A.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1177/1081286514521230) - (2014). Stabilized finite element formulations for liquid membranes and their application to droplet contact. Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids, published online
Sauer, R. A.
(See online at https://doi.org/10.1002/fld.3905)
