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Surfactant-Free Liquid Films Under Gravity and Micro-Gravity Conditions

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets

Volume

29

Issue

2

Publication Date

1992

First Page

153

Last Page

154

Abstract

Experiments carried out onboard NASA's KC-135 aircraft to better understand the role of surfactant in liquid films are described. Liquid films of water, oil (DC-704), and UV curable polymer (UVR 6110), all without surfactant (soap), drawn in a g less than 0.02 g, are found to be stable at least as long as the duration of a KC-135 microgravity period (about 25 s). Films from the same fluids when drawn in normal gravity are unstable and can be made stable by adding the surfactant. Although the addition of surfactant increases the viscosity of the fluid, the film drains more rapidly due to a modified micelle fluid structure.

Comments

Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in Journal of Spacecraft an Rockets. Subscription required to access full text through link.

https://doi.org/10.2514/3.26328

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