The diameters and velocities of the droplets ejected after splashing

Abstract

When a drop impacts a smooth, dry surface at a velocity above the so-called critical speed for drop splashing, the initial liquid volume loses its integrity, fragmenting into tiny droplets that are violently ejected radially outwards. Here, we make use of the model of Riboux & Gordillo (Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 113, 2014, 024507), together with a one-dimensional approximation describing the flow in the ejected liquid sheet and of balances of mass and momentum at the border of the sheet, to calculate mean sizes and velocities of the ejected drops. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with experiments.