Theoretical and experimental study of capillary bridges between two parallel planes

Abstract

Based on the solution of Young-Laplace equation using an inverse problem method for unknown capillary pressure, the exact parameterisation of the convex meridional profile of capillary bridges between two planar surfaces is presented in this paper. Mainly, two shapes of liquid bridges are discussed: nodoid and unduloid. In each case, from a set of observable data, we determine the exact parameterisation of the capillary bridges and their associated geometrical properties. The capillary pressure is recovered without direct measurements. The comparisons between the theory and the experiment demonstrate the accuracy of the analytical calculations.