Analytical Estimates of the Water Drop Spreading Process with Percolation Effect
To solve the problems of active influence on thunderstorm clouds, the physical mechanism of artificial formation of water and ice germs in the cloud environment is theoretically studied. Based on the Gibbs-Vollmer theory of new phase formation, it follows that the defining parameters in the formation of embryos are the interphase energies at the vapor - water - reagent boundaries and the wetting edge angle. The active process of water spreading over a water-soluble flat horizontal substrate is studied using analytical methods. It is established that the process of interfacial interaction is metastable, in addition, the spreading process is characterized by the presence of direct contact zone between two phases in which the formation of a new compound is delayed. A theoretical evaluation of individual parameters of the system under gravitational spreading without the influence of other external fields is made. Two problems were solved: determining the dynamics of the free surface of the liquid phase and finding the boundaries of liquid propagation in the substrate. An analytical expression defining the contact angle is obtained. It is shown that the expressions defining the process main parameters of spreading a drop with simultaneous impregnation of the substrate, accompanied by a loss of mass of the liquid through the contact spot on the border of the two phases, are almost equivalent to the relations describing the process of mass loss when spreading an easily evaporating liquid.