The Impact and Rebound of a Small Water Drop Striking a Hot Surface

Abstract

<p> Water drops at their boiling point were projected through a steam atmosphere to strike a surface which was varied in temperature from 300 to 900 degrees Fahrenheit. A high-speed motion picture study of the collision process showed that, except at low surface temperatures, the drop flattened out on impact and rebounded in a state of oscillation. Measurements of the change in drop diameter on collision indicated that the amount of evaporation due to heat transfer from the surface was extremely small except when the drop extensively wetted the surface. Solution of a mathematical model of the initial impact dynamics and models of heat transfer through a vapour film beneath the drop and by direct liquid-surface contact confirmed experimental observations. </p>