Droplet Impacting on a Hydrophobic Surface: Influence of Surface Wetting State on Droplet Behavior

Abstract Water droplet impacting onto a hydrophobic surface is considered and the influence of the surface wetting state on the droplet dynamics is examined. Pressure variation in the impacting droplet is predicted numerically using the level set model. The droplet spreading and the retraction on the hydrophobic surface are assessed for various wetting states of the hydrophobic surface. Experiment is carried out to validate the predictions of the droplet shape and the restitution coefficient. It is found that predictions of impacting droplet shape and the restitution coefficient agree with those obtained from the experiment. The local pressure peaks formed in the droplet fluid, particularly in the retraction period, causes alteration of the droplet vertical height and the shape. Droplet spreading is influenced by the wetting state of the hydrophobic surface; hence, increasing contact angle of the hydrophobic surface lowers the spreading diameter of the droplet on the surface. The transition time of the droplet changes with the wetting state of the hydrophobic surface such that increasing droplet contact angle reduces the transition time of the droplet on the surface. The droplet remains almost round after the first bounding for large contact angle hydrophobic surface.