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Transition from dripping to jetting of a film flowing down a vertical fiber

Atefeh Pour Karimi* and Reinhold Kneer

Marc Böttner

Wilko Rohlfs

Benoit Scheid

  • Chair of Thermodynamics of Mobile Energy Conversion Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Forckenbeckstr. 4, 52074 Aachen, Germany

  • *Contact author: pour@wsa.rwth-aachen.de
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 094001 – Published 9 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/c9tw-7yf3

Abstract

Film flow on vertical fibers has been studied for the past 30 years. However, it is only recently that the influence of the nozzle on the film and bead dynamics has been demonstrated. Consequently, similar to the regimes observed with a faucet, both a dripping and a jetting regime have been reported for film flow on fibers. This study investigates the dynamics of thin liquid films on vertical fibers near the nozzle outlet using both experimental and numerical approaches, drawing insights from dripping faucet studies. This allows for a clear definition of the recently observed dripping and jetting regimes, with a particular focus on gaining a deeper understanding of the flow and formation of beads in the dripping regime, as well as the transition to jetting.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 094001– Published 9 September, 2026
  • Received 24 June 2025
  • Accepted 17 July 2026
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