Scaling laws for droplets spreading under contact-line friction (Q2443496)

Using a lubrication approximation, the motion of a symmetric droplet of a thin liquid film on a flat bottom is described by the normalized height \(h=h(t,x)\) and the extent of the wetted region \((-s(t),s(t))\) which evolve according to \[ \partial_t h + \partial_x (hu) = 0, \quad u = (h^2+h) \partial_x^3 h, \quad x\in (0,s(t)), \;t>0, \] with boundary conditions \[ \partial_x h(t,0) = \partial_x^3 h(t,0) = 0, \quad h(t,s(t)) = 0, \quad s'(t) = k \left( \partial_x h(t,s(t))^2 - \alpha_S^2 \right), \] after a suitable rescaling. Here \(k\in (0,\infty]\) accounts for the relative strength of surface friction versus contact-line friction while \(\alpha_S\geq 0\) is the normalized static contact angle. Given \(s_0=s(0)>0\) and \(k>0\), matched asymptotic expansions are used to identify ranges of the parameters \((s_0,k)\) for which the temporal behaviour can be estimated for some ranges of time. It is shown in particular that, if \(\alpha_S=0\) (complete wetting), \(k\leq 1\), and \(s_0\ll 1/k\) then \[ s(t) \sim (kt)^{1/5} \;\;\text{ if }\;\; \frac{s_0^5}{k} \ll t \ll \frac{1}{k^6}, \;\;\text{ and }\;\; s(t) \sim t^{1/6} \;\;\text{ if }\;\; t \geq \max\left\{ 1, \frac{1}{k^6} \right\}, \] thereby revealing a crossover in the time evolution of \(s\). Results in the same spirit are also derived for non-zero contact angles \(\alpha_S\) (partial wetting) provided that \(\alpha_S \ll k\).