splashing

Splashing is the act of liquid being thrown upward and outward into droplets, or the droplets themselves produced by such an action. It commonly occurs when a liquid surface is disturbed by impact, rapid motion, or air flow, resulting in a spray, crown, or jet of droplets. Splashing can involve water or other liquids and occurs in natural environments, households, and industrial settings.

Physically, splashing results from the conversion of kinetic energy into surface energy and droplet formation. When a liquid surface is disrupted, perturbations can grow into droplets if inertia overcomes surface tension and viscous damping. Factors include impact velocity and angle, liquid density, surface tension, and viscosity. Dimensionless groups such as the Weber number and Ohnesorge number describe splashing tendency; higher speed and lower viscosity or surface tension generally promote splashing.

Contexts: Natural splashing includes raindrops on surfaces, waves breaking on shores, and ocean spray driven by wind. In daily life, splashing occurs around kitchens, bathrooms, pools, and fountains. Industrially, controlled splashing is used to produce sprays for painting, cooling, and agriculture, while inadvertent splashes can pose safety hazards in laboratories and workplaces, necessitating protective equipment and containment measures.

Measurement and mitigation: Researchers study splashing with high-speed cameras and sensors. Design strategies to reduce splash include altering liquid properties through additives, modifying surface textures, using barriers, or changing nozzle geometry in spraying systems.