Onset condition of the ramified-jet regime: an experimental and theoretical study
Abstract
This study experimentally and theoretically investigates the electrically induced transition of a gas-focused liquid jet into a rim-emitting sheet. Ultra-high-speed imaging was used to examine the effects of applied voltage, gas and liquid flow rates, and liquid properties on sheet formation and breakup. Fully developed, quasi-stable sheets formed with ethanol, whereas isopropanol exhibited only initial sheet formation. Increasing voltage promoted sheet stretching, finer and more numerous rim jets, and a narrower spray. Higher gas flow rates shifted the transition towards the nozzle and produced finer structures, while higher liquid flow rates generated larger sheets with thicker rims. A first-order theoretical model assumes an equipotential interface and neglects finite charge relaxation, hydrodynamic perturbations, and nonlinear evolution. It balances destabilizing Maxwell-pressure perturbations against restoring capillary-pressure perturbations on a conducting cylindrical jet. The model identifies the elliptic azimuthal mode, m = 2, as the first unstable mode leading to sheet formation and predicts a critical electric Bond number of 3. Predicted onset voltages agree with measurements within 20%, and the threshold was consistent with published ramified-electrospray observations. The agreement with experiments supports electrocapillary symmetry breaking as the mechanism of onset and provides a compact, physically grounded criterion for predicting the transition from electrified jets to rim-emitting sheets.
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BibTeX
@misc{zupan2026onset,
title = {{Onset condition of the ramified-jet regime: an experimental and theoretical study}},
author = {Bor Zupan and Jernej Kušar and Božidar Šarler},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.16585},
eprint = {2610.16585},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.16585},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Onset condition of the ramified-jet regime: an experimental and theoretical study
AU - Bor Zupan
AU - Jernej Kušar
AU - Božidar Šarler
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.16585
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.16585
AB - This study experimentally and theoretically investigates the electrically induced transition of a gas-focused liquid jet into a rim-emitting sheet. Ultra-high-speed imaging was used to examine the effects of applied voltage, gas and liquid flow rates, and liquid properties on sheet formation and breakup. Fully developed, quasi-stable sheets formed with ethanol, whereas isopropanol exhibited only initial sheet formation. Increasing voltage promoted sheet stretching, finer and more numerous rim jets, and a narrower spray. Higher gas flow rates shifted the transition towards the nozzle and produced finer structures, while higher liquid flow rates generated larger sheets with thicker rims. A first-order theoretical model assumes an equipotential interface and neglects finite charge relaxation, hydrodynamic perturbations, and nonlinear evolution. It balances destabilizing Maxwell-pressure perturbations against restoring capillary-pressure perturbations on a conducting cylindrical jet. The model identifies the elliptic azimuthal mode, m = 2, as the first unstable mode leading to sheet formation and predicts a critical electric Bond number of 3. Predicted onset voltages agree with measurements within 20%, and the threshold was consistent with published ramified-electrospray observations. The agreement with experiments supports electrocapillary symmetry breaking as the mechanism of onset and provides a compact, physically grounded criterion for predicting the transition from electrified jets to rim-emitting sheets.
ER -