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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 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 $T_z+\pi \rho g{a}^2=0$.

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.

For steady nonzero flux, $Aw=Q$, so $A=Q/w$. Substitution in the slender viscous thread force balance givesIf $f=w_z/w$, thenHence $\boxed{\frac{1}{2}(w_z/w{)}^2=U/w+c}$. This argument does not divide by $w_z$, so it also applies at turning points of the axial velocity. The symbol $U$ here has dimensions inverse length-time; it is not itself a speed.

For a slender viscous thread, leading axial velocity is uniform over a section. Incompressibility gives $u_r=-r{w}_z/2$. The radial and azimuthal strain rates are $-w_z/2$, and the axial one is $w_z$. The Newtonian fluid stress tensor then has ${\sigma }_{rr}=-p-\mu w_z$. Matching the inviscid exterior normal stress requires $p=p_a-\mu w_z$, so ${\sigma }_{zz}=-p_a+3\mu w_z$. The coefficient three is the Trouton ratio.

A short section has end-stress resultant ${\partial }_z(A{\sigma }_{zz})dz$. The side's hydrostatic traction adds $p_a{A}_{z}dz$, and gravity adds $\rho gAdz$. Neglecting inertia and capillarity, their sum is zero:Since $(p_a{)}_z={\rho }_{a}g$, the balances areThe second is cross-sectional volume conservation, equivalently $D_{t}A=-A{w}_z$. Small interface slope justifies the sectionwise extensional approximation; the slow-flow assumption is additionally needed to neglect inertia.

Take $z$ positive downwards. The leading axial velocity of a slender viscous thread is independent of radius. Incompressible flow then gives $u_r=-r{w}^{\prime }/2$, while steady mass conservation gives $(a^{2}w{)}^{\prime }=0$. The Newtonian fluid stress tensor has ${\sigma }_{rr}=-p-\mu w^{\prime }$ and ${\sigma }_{zz}=-p+2\mu w^{\prime }$. The Young–Laplace equation, neglecting axial curvature at slender order, gives ${\sigma }_{rr}=-p_e-\gamma /a$ and hence $p=p_e+\gamma /a-\mu w^{\prime }$.

The axial cut transmits both the integrated Newtonian fluid stress tensor and the circumferential surface tension. After subtracting the ambient pressure, its tensile force isThe coefficient three is the Trouton ratio for axial extension. The last term is essential: the capillary tensile force of a slender thread is $\pi \gamma a$, not $2\pi \gamma a$, because the capillary pressure subtracts half the interfacial line contribution. Axial force balance is $T^{\prime }+\pi \rho g{a}^2=0$. Together the governing equations areDefine the dimensionless variablesThen $a=a_0{W}^{-1/2}$ and the axial equation becomesFor the increasing power-law branch, all three terms have the same dependence when $\alpha =2$. Substitution leaves $1-6k^2-\Gamma k=0$. ThusThis remains valid at $\Gamma =0$, when $k=1/\sqrt{6}$. The other root is negative and describes a decreasing local branch up to its singular endpoint, not a thread accelerating downwards indefinitely. Positive surface tension decreases $k$, so it slows the fall at a given height on this branch. Thinning reduces the capillary tensile force $\pi \gamma a$. Its negative axial derivative supplies an upward capillary force on a thread segment, balancing part of the weight. The viscous tensile force therefore supplies a smaller remaining balance; on the quadratic family this reduces the stretching rate.

The condition $W(0)=1$ alone does not select a unique solution of this second-order ordinary differential equation. The boxed power law is the requested verified branch, with tensile force tending to zero at large height; an additional nozzle tension or downstream condition is required to select it physically. The slender, negligible-inertia approximation must remain valid over the height range considered.

Let $z$ increase downward. The slender viscous thread is locally in uniaxial extension. The transverse stress equals the ambient pressure, so the Trouton ratio gives the excess axial stress ${\sigma }_{zz}+p_e=3\mu w_z$. Mass conservation and axial force balance therefore give

In steady flow $Aw=Q$. Dividing the momentum equation by $A=Q/w$ givesWith $w=\hat{w}W$ and $z=\hat{z}Z$, chooseThe dimensionless equation becomesTreating $(W^{\prime }{)}^2$ as a function of $W$ and using an integrating factor yieldsBecause $A=Q/(\hat{w}W)$, the area sketches are the reciprocals of the functions $W$ found below. The dimensional vertical deviatoric stress is