The shape of a magnetic liquid drop

Abstract

The electromagnetic forces in a ferrofluid depend on the domain occupied by the fluid. We study here the equilibrium positions of a ferrofluid drop with a boundary which is partially or totally free. The method used is based on the minimization of the energy with respect to the shape of the drop. We show bifurcations of the solutions and hysteresis phenomena when the parameters vary.

Numerical and experimental investigations of the formation process of ferrofluid droplets

“…The mathematical formulation for hydrodynamics of ferrofluid was discussed by Rosensweig (1985). The deformation of a freely suspended droplet and a sessile droplet in a uniform magnetic field was previously numerically studied by coupling the magnetic field, the free surface, and the fluid flow (Lavrova et al 2006;Sero-Guillaume et al 1992). The stable shape is determined by the interaction between magnetic force and the interfacial tension force.…”

Numerical approach and experimental verification for interface shape determination between layered fluids subject to a magnetic field

“…In the past, several numerical approaches have been proposed which are tailored to a specific problem [6][7][8]. A new theoretical approach is presented for calculating the interface shape between a magnetic and a non-magnetic fluid, which is based on the equations illustrated by Laplace [9] and Young [10].…”

Ordered microdroplet formations of thin ferrofluid layer breakups

“…5 In addition, the dynamics of the crests has also been intensively studied both experimentally [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] and theoretically. [13][14][15][16] However, these researches focus mainly on the magnetic fluid layer at a relatively larger scale. With advances in microtechnology, it is interesting to further investigate the instability phenomena of an extremely thin layer, in which stronger effects by surface tension might lead to interesting behaviors.…”