<< The "teapot effect" has been threatening spotless white tablecloths for ages: if a liquid is poured out of a teapot too slowly, then the flow of liquid sometimes does not detach itself from the teapot, finding its way into the cup, but dribbles down at the outside of the teapot. >>
<< This phenomenon has been studied scientifically for decades—now a research team at TU Wien has succeeded in describing the "teapot effect" completely and in detail with an elaborate theoretical analysis and numerous experiments: An interplay of different forces keeps a tiny amount of liquid directly at the edge, and this is sufficient to redirect the flow of liquid under certain conditions. >>
<< Although this is a very common and seemingly simple effect, it is remarkably difficult to explain it exactly within the framework of fluid mechanics, (..) We have now succeeded for the first time in providing a complete theoretical explanation of why this drop forms and why the underside of the edge always remains wetted, >> Bernhard Scheichl.
<< The sharp edge on the underside of the teapot beak plays the most important role: a drop forms, the area directly below the edge always remains wet. The size of this drop depends on the speed at which the liquid flows out of the teapot. If the speed is lower than a critical threshold, this drop can direct the entire flow around the edge and dribbles down on the outside wall of the teapot. >>
<< The mathematics behind it is complicated—it is an interplay of inertia, viscous and capillary forces. The inertial force ensures that the fluid tends to maintain its original direction, while the capillary forces slow the fluid down right at the beak. The interaction of these forces is the basis of the teapot effect. However, the capillary forces ensure that the effect only starts at a very specific contact angle between the wall and the liquid surface. The smaller this angle is or the more hydrophilic (i.e. wettable) the material of the teapot is, the more the detachment of the liquid from the teapot is slowed down. >>
<< Interestingly, the strength of gravity in relation to the other forces that occur does not play a decisive role. Gravity merely determines the direction in which the jet is directed, but its strength is not decisive for the teapot effect. The teapot effect would therefore also be observed when drinking tea on a moon base, but not on a space station with no gravity at all. >>️
Why teapots always drip. Vienna University of Technology. Nov 08, 2021
Scheichl, B., Bowles, R., & Pasias, G. (2021). Developed liquid film passing a smoothed and wedge-shaped trailing edge: Small-scale analysis and the ‘teapot effect’ at large Reynolds numbers. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 926, A25. doi: 10.1017/jfm.2021.612. Sep 8, 2021.
keywords: gst, teapot effect, interfacial flows, thin films, boundary layers, Reynolds number, viscosity, viscous–inviscid interaction
