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Transition in bubble detachment on a horizontally translating plate

Sohyeun Kang, Jaejun Kim, Minseop Lee, and Daegyoum Kim*

  • Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea

  • *Contact author: daegyoum@kaist.ac.kr
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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 063604 – Published 22 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s83p-sx7x

Abstract

We investigate the detachment of bubbles from an orifice on a horizontally translating plate in a quiescent liquid through experiments and force-based modeling. By varying the plate velocity, orifice diameter, and air volume flow rate, we identify two representative regimes of bubble detachment: buoyancy-driven rise and shear-controlled lift off. For each regime, the balance of dominant forces acting on the bubble yields a critical bubble radius under given conditions, which initiates a transition from the growth phase to the detachment phase. Using the critical radii derived for the extreme cases of the two detachment regimes, a critical radius ratio is proposed to unify the trends of the inclination angle and the bubble radius in the intermediate range where both vertical rise and horizontal lift off are effective. This study develops a foundational model to describe the detachment characteristics of bubbles from a moving solid surface.

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Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 063604– Published 22 June, 2026
  • Received 22 December 2025
  • Accepted 22 May 2026
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