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  • Open Access

Drop-drop coalescence: A simple crossover function between inertial and viscous dynamics

Kaili Xie*, Marie Corpart, Antoine Deblais, and Daniel Bonn†

  • *Contact author: k.xie2@uva.nl
  • †Contact author: d.bonn@uva.nl
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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 064014 – Published 5 June, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/zzmy-9wxl

Abstract

The coalescence of liquid drops is a fundamental process that remains incompletely understood, particularly in the intermediate regimes where capillary, viscous, and inertial forces are comparable. Here, we experimentally investigate the dynamics of drop-to-drop coalescence during the transition between viscous and inertial regimes using high-speed imaging. Our results reveal that the liquid bridge between droplets shows power-law growth with exponents between 1/2 and 1 during drop coalescence. We propose an alternative scaling approach using a dimensionless crossover function that smoothly transitions between viscous and inertial limits. This simple approach, inspired by previous work on drop impact, successfully collapses the experimental data for a wide range of liquid viscosities and coalescence times onto a single master curve. We further compare our results with recent theoretical models and demonstrate how our approach complements and extends current understanding in the crossover of drop coalescence. This study contributes to both the fundamental physics of drop coalescence and its practical applications in various industrial processes.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 064014– Published 5 June, 2025
  • Received 20 November 2024
  • Revised 23 February 2025
  • Accepted 16 May 2025
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