Collision of water drop on water

Abstract

A series of experiments are performed to study the collision of a water drop with various impact velocities, ranged from 0 to 600 cm/s, onto a water surface. Three kinds of phenomena have been recorded. Two of them named “penetration” and “cleavage”, were observed for low impact velocity (up to 100 cm/s). Their common characteristics are that no obvious disturbances on the surface were observed during the colliding process. Namely no splashing jets nor obvious crater were observed. By penetration we mean that a drop fallen into water becomes a ring, which penetrates the water smoothly with a velocity of several centimeters per second. During the penetrating process no obvious change of its configuration was observed. The falling height corresponding to penetration is proportional to volume of the original drop. Some periodicity of the falling heights (corresponding to penetration) was revealed. The phenomenon named “cleavage” occurs when the impact velocity is other than that corresponding to penetration, then the drop cleaves into an “inverted cauliflower” after falling below the surface of water. It almost does not decend. By diffusing and slowly expanding it vanishes in the vessel water several minutes after. These two kinds of phenomena, as we know, have not been reported before. As the impact velocity approaches or exceeds 100 cm/s, the third kind of phenomena, the splash, appears. The diameter and depth of the crater occuring in the case of splash, together with the time for the crater to reach its maximum size, and the time for the rebounding column to begin to rise are given as functions of the falling height of the drop.