Abhishek Singh
School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Kamand 175075, H.P., India
Parmod Kumar
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, 247667, India; School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh-175075, India
The influence of superhydrophobic substrate with a cylindrical ridge-type texture on the outcomes of oblique droplet impact is numerically studied using OpenFoam. The diameter of the ridge is taken smaller than the initial droplet diameter−half and quarter of it. A normal droplet impact on such ridges causes the droplet to split and promotes faster rebound. Here, it is described that for oblique tangential impacts, a single ridge structure performs worse than a flat surface. Not always does the droplet split and rebound, and even if it does so, the contact time is not reduced. Moreover, phenomena like partial rebound or droplet sticking have also been seen where the droplet or a part of its losses all of its initial impact energy to its newly-formed surface and surroundings. Such dynamics raise questions regarding the employability of these surfaces when the impact velocity is no longer normal to the surface.