Bending of an elastic cantilever by gravity-driven flow of a liquid film

ORAL

Abstract

We experimentally study a gravity-driven liquid flow on a flexible beam. The elastic material bends due to the weight of the liquid. The relationship between hydrodynamics and elasticity is investigated by varying an applied flow rate, the bending stiffness of the beam, and the beam length. Surface tension effects are negligible for these experiments. We compare our results with a model that predicts the beam deformation in terms of two dimensionless parameters, one representing a dimensionless beam length and the other representing a dimensionless beam stiffness. The results span both small deformations as well as large deformations of the cantilever.

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Authors

  • Marinela Popova

    Princeton University

  • Hyoungsoo Kim

    Princeton University

  • Peter Howell

    Oxford University, University of Oxford

  • Howard A. Stone

    Princeton University, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Department of Mechanical \& Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University