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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zeng, Yang, Chen, Zhen, Xu, Lei
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18615
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author Zeng, Yang
Chen, Zhen
Xu, Lei
author_facet Zeng, Yang
Chen, Zhen
Xu, Lei
contents Drop impacts are ubiquitous in natural and industrial processes, yet the influence of drop shape on impact force remains a fundamental open question. Combining experiments with theoretical analysis, we show that drop shape plays a critical role, with impact force varying by more than an order of magnitude solely due to changes in shape. By uncovering self-similarity in time and cross-shape similarity across diverse drop profiles, we develop a universal cylinder model that accurately predicts both the magnitude and timing of the impact force. This study establishes a comprehensive framework for understanding impact forces across a wide range of drop shapes. Given the prevalence of drop impacts with varying shapes in real-world scenarios, our findings hold fundamental significance and have broad potential applications across industries such as soil erosion prevention, jet cutting, spray coating, and design of windshields and wind turbines.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_18615
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle The Role of Drop Shape in Impact Force
Zeng, Yang
Chen, Zhen
Xu, Lei
Fluid Dynamics
Drop impacts are ubiquitous in natural and industrial processes, yet the influence of drop shape on impact force remains a fundamental open question. Combining experiments with theoretical analysis, we show that drop shape plays a critical role, with impact force varying by more than an order of magnitude solely due to changes in shape. By uncovering self-similarity in time and cross-shape similarity across diverse drop profiles, we develop a universal cylinder model that accurately predicts both the magnitude and timing of the impact force. This study establishes a comprehensive framework for understanding impact forces across a wide range of drop shapes. Given the prevalence of drop impacts with varying shapes in real-world scenarios, our findings hold fundamental significance and have broad potential applications across industries such as soil erosion prevention, jet cutting, spray coating, and design of windshields and wind turbines.
title The Role of Drop Shape in Impact Force
topic Fluid Dynamics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.18615