Slender viscous thread

A slender viscous thread has a cross-sectional scale much smaller than its axial variation scale. For an axisymmetric Newtonian thread of area $A$ and nearly uniform axial velocity $w$, mass conservation and the Trouton ratio givewhen inertia and surface tension are negligible and $z$ points downward.

Uniform axial strain rate $E$ in an annular Newtonian fluid gives radial velocity $u_r=-Er/2+C/r$. For radii $R_i,R_e$, area parameter $A=R_e^2-R_i^2$, and constant gas pressures,The opposite signs of inner and outer curvature in the Young–Laplace equation give these expressions. The kinematic boundary condition implies $\dot{A}=-EA$ and

For equal internal and external pressures, zero axial strain rate and positive surface tension, annular viscous extension gives constant $A=R_e^2-R_i^2$ and thickness $D(t)=R_e(0)-R_i(0)+\gamma t/(2\mu )$. Since $R_i=(A/D-D)/2$, the central hole closes atThe formula holds until closure and requires a genuine initial annulus; the subsequent topology has no inner cylindrical interface.

For an axisymmetric slender viscous thread, the Young–Laplace equation and radial extensional viscous stress give $p=p_e+\gamma /a-\mu w_z$. The axial liquid stress relative to ambient pressure is $3\mu w_z-\gamma /a$. Its cross-sectional integral plus the circumferential surface tension force $2\pi \gamma a$ gives the displayed tensile force. Thus the net capillary contribution is $\pi \gamma a$, and axial force balance with downward gravity is $T_z+\pi \rho g{a}^2=0$.

For a hollow slender viscous thread, $A=R_e^2-R_i^2$ and both surfaces contribute axial surface tension. The liquid cut force relative to exterior pressure, including these surface terms, is $\pi [3\mu A{w}_z+(p_i-p_e)R_i^2+\gamma (R_e+R_i)]$. The axial traction on the sloping inner gas surface contributes $-\pi (p_i-p_e)(R_i^2{)}_z$ to force balance. For constant gas pressures the extra derivative cancels, giving $3\mu (A{w}_z{)}_z+\rho gA+\gamma (R_e+R_i{)}_z=0$. The displayed $T$ is this effective tension after accounting for gas-pressure work, not the unadjusted liquid cut force.

For steady equal-pressure flow, mass conservation gives $Aw=A_0{w}_0$ and the kinematic boundary condition gives $(D\sqrt{w}{)}_z=\gamma /(2\mu \sqrt{w})$, where $D=R_e-R_i$. Therefore finite-height closure occurs exactly whenFor positive velocity the integral is increasing. If it diverges, closure is finite; if its limiting value lies below the right-hand threshold, there is no finite closure. Quadratic freely falling profiles have logarithmically divergent integrals, while sufficiently strongly drawn exponentially accelerating profiles can have finite integrals. Thus nozzle speed alone is insufficient to guarantee closure: the axial tension or downstream condition matters.

In steady viscous-thread drawing the conserved volume flux $Aw=Q$ couples thinning directly to acceleration. The axial tensile stress is $3\mu w_z$, so solutions with larger positive $w_z$ thin more rapidly.

A constant-tension slender viscous thread loses the same cross-sectional area along each material element: $A=A_0-Ft/(3\mu )$. Volume conservation gives material stretch $A_0/A$. Near an isolated quadratic minimum of $A_0$, integration over a shrinking material width proportional to $(t^{\ast }-t{)}^{1/2}$ gives total extension exponent $-1/2$. A uniformly thin thread has the same divergent stretch everywhere and exponent $-1$. The localized coefficient is independent of remote endpoints.

Viscous-sheet drawing stretches a thin ribbon between rollers. Mass conservation, axial force balance, lateral surface tension, and edge kinematics jointly determine its half-thickness, half-width, and axial speed.