A pendant drop merging with a sessile drop and subsequently forming a single daughter drop, is known to exhibit complex topologies, but their dynamics are yet to be probed for...

The dynamics of the pendant drop coalescing with a sessile drop to form a single daughter droplet is known to form a bridge. The bridge evolution begins with a point contact between the two drops leading to a liquid neck of size comparable to the diameter of the drops. To probe this phenomenon in polymeric fluids, we quantify the neck radius growth during coalescence using high-speed imaging. In this study, we unveil the existence of three regimes on the basis of concentration ratio c/c*, namely, inertioelastic c/c* < c e /c*, viscoelastic c e /c* < c/c* < 20, and elasticity dominated regimes c/c* > 20. Our results suggest that the neck radius growth with time (t) obeys a power-law behavior t b , such that the coefficient b has a steady value in inertioelastic and viscoelastic regimes, with a monotonic decrease in elasticity dominated regime. On the basis of this dependence of b on concentration ratios, we propose a new measurement technique, rheocoalescence, which possibly can predict the relaxation time of these fluids in the elasticity dominated regime. We also show a deviation from universality proposed in the literature for the elasticity dominated regime.

Coalescence of sessile polymeric fluid drops on a partially wettable substrate exhibits a transition from the inertial to viscoelastic regime at concentration ratio c=c à $ 1. Our findings unveil that the temporal evolution of the growing bridge height follows a power law behavior t b , such that the coefficient b continuously decreases from 2/3 in the inertial regime (c=c à < 1) to an asymptotic value of 1/2 in the viscoelastic regime (c=c à > 1Þ. To account for fluid elasticity and characteristic timescale in the viscoelastic regime, a modified thin film equation under lubrication approximation has been proposed using the linear Phan-Thien-Tanner constitutive equation. The temporal evolution of the droplet has been evaluated by solving the modified one-dimensional thin film equation using a marching explicit scheme. The initial droplet shapes are obtained by resorting to energy minimization. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results is obtained.

Coalescence of two droplets on a solid substrate is an interfacial phenomenon that imposes the challenges of capturing the complex contact line motion and energy interaction between the solid-liquid interface. Recent investigations on the coalescence of polymeric droplets on a solid substrate have reported strong disagreements; the heart of the issue is whether coalescence of polymeric drops is similar to that of Newtonian fluid and is independent of molecular relaxation, or whether the role of entanglement of polymeric chains leads to a transition kinetics different from that of Newtonian fluid. Via this article, we resolve the disagreements through a discussion on the effects of merging method on the dominant forces governing the coalescence process, i.e., inertia, dissipation, and relaxation. In this regard, two methods of merging have been identified, namely droplet spreading method (DSM) and volume filling method (VFM). Our study unveils that the coalescence dynamics of polymeric drops is not universal and in fact, is contingent of the method by which the coalescence is triggered. Additionally, we demonstrate the spatial features of the bridge at different time instants by a similarity analysis. We also theoretically obtain a universal bridge profile by employing the similarity parameter in a modified thin film lubrication equation for polymeric fluids.

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