Numerical simulation of isothermal nonwetting

A numerical simulation of isothermal wetting suppression in the presence of shear is considered during which wetting may be prevented when a drop approaches a moving wall. Air is driven into the passage between the solid and liquid surfaces by viscous action, preventing wetting. Silicone-oil and water drops are investigated for different wall velocities and wall distances. The droplet dimples at the upstream side and bulges at the downstream side when nonwetting occurs. The free-surface deformation can be enlarged by either increasing the wall velocity or decreasing the wall distance. The low-viscosity silicone-oil used in these calculations is much more sensitive to shear wetting suppression than is water, because the Weber number of the silicone-oil is larger than that of water.