Title: Directional transport behaviour of droplets on the surfaces with asymmetric slanted cone arrays

Authors: Guotao Zhang; Liangliang Ma; Baohong Tong; Fanglin Liang; Xiaoyi Wang; Enzhu Hu; Karl Dearn

Addresses: China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, Maanshan 243002, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma Anshan, 243032, China ' China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, Maanshan 243002, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma Anshan, 243032, China ' China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, Maanshan 243002, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma Anshan, 243032, China ' China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, Maanshan 243002, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma Anshan, 243032, China ' China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base on Intelligent Equipment Manufacturing in Special Service Environment, Maanshan 243002, China; School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma Anshan, 243032, China ' Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Hefei University, Hefei, 230601, China ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Abstract: For exploring the directional transport behaviour of droplets on micro-structured surfaces, a dynamic model of droplet directional transport on the surfaces with asymmetrically oblique cones is established. The change of the droplet morphology and the flow properties are discussed. Results show that droplet can transport directionally on the surfaces with asymmetrically inclined cones. The transport velocity and morphology is significantly affected by different structural parameters. Under the preferred geometric parameters, the droplet has the maximum transport velocity and has non-splitting and stable forward transport. On both sides of the solid-liquid contact interface, the left vortex and the right vortex push and pull the interface forward respectively. This causes the droplets to flow forward synchronously with the interface. The results reveal the directional transport mechanism of droplets on the inclined cone surface, which provides a theoretical basis for the engineering surface design with fluid transport function.

Keywords: inclined cone surface; directional transport; droplet dynamics; pinning; velocity vortex.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHM.2023.134340

International Journal of Hydromechatronics, 2023 Vol.6 No.4, pp.380 - 399

Received: 27 Mar 2023
Accepted: 19 Jun 2023
Published online: 18 Oct 2023 *

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