Let measure height above the sponge. Under the long-wave approximation, hydrostatic pressure gives , and the horizontal balance for viscous fluid flow is
The no-slip boundary condition and stress-free boundary condition give
Integrating this lubrication theory profile gives the horizontal volume flux per unit span
Local mass conservation includes the downward loss found in part i:
Consequently the required nonlinear partial differential equation is
If the imposed inlet flux is and the moving front is , sufficient boundary conditions are
For a current released onto a dry substrate one also takes the initial condition away from the source. The front position is part of this moving-boundary problem.
Viscous sheet 2026-10-05
A viscous sheet is a thin fluid layer whose motion is controlled by viscous fluid flow and whose two broad faces can move freely. Unlike a no-slip wall film, an extensional sheet with shear-free faces has leading tangential velocity nearly uniform across its thickness. The in-plane stresses depend on extension in both horizontal directions.