ANALYTICAL EXPRESSIONS FOR THE SHAPE OF SMALL DROPS AND BUBBLES

Analytical expressions describing the shape of small axisymmetric sessile and pendant drops or bubbles are derived. The expressions represent compound asymptotic expansions for small values of the Bond number. The accuracy of the asymptotic expansions is examined against the exact computer solutions of the Laplace equation of capillarity. The derived equations can be useful in interpreting the data from different methods of contact angle measurement with sessile or pendant fluid particles. © 1993 by Academic Press, Inc.