Linear analysis of liquid film flow

Abstract

Abstract Analyses of the flow of thin Newtonian liquid films over vertical plane surfaces at low Reynolds number in the wavy flow regime have been considered. The results of a linear analysis of the equations of motion, seeking a steady periodic solution to characterize the wave profile, are presented. The solutions derived in this work give better agreement with experimental results than previously published solutions using a linear analysis. Predictions of the wave properties (wave celerity, wave number, and wavelength) as functions of the flow conditions are derived from the theory.