THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL B 3D Large scale Marangoni convection in liquid films

We study large scale surface deformations of a liquid film unstable due to the Marangoni effect caused by external heating on a smooth and solid substrate. The work is based on the thin film equation which can be derived from the basic hydrodynamic equations. To prevent rupture, a repelling disjoining pressure is included which accounts for the stabilization of a thin precursor film and so prevents the occurrence of completely dry regions. Linear stability analysis, nonlinear stationary solutions, as well as three-dimensional time dependent numerical solutions for horizontal and inclined substrates reveal a rich scenario of possible structures for several realistic fluid parameters. PACS. 68.15.+e Liquid thin films – 47.20.Dr Surface-tension-driven instability – 68.55.-a Thin film structure and morphology