21806 Nonlinear behavior of Drop Levitated by Electrostatic Force

Under the micro gravity environment, it is possible to hold a liquid drop without using container. The electrostatic levitation is one of containerless processing techniques, and thermo-physical properties of high temperature molted metals have been measured by using it For example, the surface tension has been estimated by the resonance frequency with an oscillating drop method. This method is based on theoretical equations derived under linear approximations. However, the levitating liquid drop includes nonlinear effects and they should be taken into account for highly precise measurements of physical properties. The objective of the present study is to investigate nonlinear effects of the levitating liquid drop in fluid dynamics point of view. In this experiment, the liquid drop is levitated by Electrostatic Force and the axisymmetric oscillation and the horizontal rotation are applied. Experimental results of the change of resonance frequency on the oscillation and the rotation liquid drop agree with the theoretical prediction.