Round Splashes of a Viscous Liquid

The splashes of a highly viscous fluid (glycerol) resulting from its pulsed displacement from a gap between two rapidly approaching disks are studied. It is found that, outside the disks, the splash has the form of a thin film bounded by an annular rim. A physical model of the splash is formulated, and analytical solutions describing its trajectory are given. The calculation results are compared with experimental data. The effects of fluid viscosity, surface tension, and film breakdown are analyzed. It is shown that the key influence on the splash development scenarios is exerted by surface tension of the film connecting the rim to the disks.