Deformation of drops in extensional viscoelastic flow

Abstract

The deformation of nylon drops in polyethylene, with and without an interfacial agent, in an extensional flow has been studied. The presence of an interfacial agent reduces the size of the dispersed phase, and the deformation of the drop is reduced. An analysis is given, which accurately predicts the deformation for all values of the capillary number considered. The predicted and observed shapes are, however, only in agreement at low values of capillary number. Possible causes for this discrepancy are discussed. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.