Linear oscillations of weakly dissipative axisymmetric liquid bridges

Abstract

Linear oscillations of axisymmetric capillary bridges are analyzed for large values of the modified Reynolds number C−1. There are two kinds of oscillating modes. For nearly inviscid modes (the flow being potential, except in boundary layers), it is seen that the damping rate −ΩR and the frequency ΩI are of the form ΩR=ω1C1/2+ω2C+O(C3/2) and ΩI=ω0+ω1C1/2+O(C3/2), where the coefficients ω0≳0, ω1<0, and ω2<0 depend on the aspect ratio of the bridge and the mode being excited. This result compares well with numerical results if C≲0.01, while the leading term in the expansion of the damping rate (that was already known) gives a bad approximation, except for unrealistically large values of the modified Reynolds number (C≲10−6). Viscous modes (involving a nonvanishing vorticity distribution everywhere in the liquid bridge), providing damping rates of the order of C, are also considered.