The bending of an elastic beam by a liquid drop: a variational approach

Abstract

We study the interaction of a liquid drop with an elastic beam in the case where bending effects dominate. We use a variational approach to derive equilibrium equations for the system in the presence of gravity and in the presence or absence of contact line pinning. We show that the derived equilibrium equations for the beam subsystem reveal the external forces applied on the beam by the liquid and vapour phases. Among these, the force applied at the triple line (the curve where the three phases meet) is found to lie along the liquid–vapour interface.