Publication

Abstract : Equilibrium shapes are obtained for sessile and pendant liquid drops placed on elastic membranes in two-dimensions. The membrane is allowed to undergo large deformations under the action of capillary forces and fluid pressure. We focus on the global characteristics of the system, like the equilibrium shape of the drop, the membrane’s deformed shape, the apparent contact angle and contact size, and their variation with the volume of the drop for different membrane tensions and drop apex curvatures. It is found that the apparent contact angle is not simply a function of material property but of the system’s geometry as well. The contact size for sessile drops shows a non-monotonic behavior with the volume for all drop apex curvatures. However, for pendant drops, the behavior is strictly monotonic below a critical value of the drop apex curvature.