Influence of Water-Splash Formation by a Hydrophilic Body Plunging Into Water

The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between water-splash formation and the surface conditions of bodies plunging into the water’s surface by considering hydrophilicity strength. A hydrophilic body (constructed with hydrogel), as well as an acrylic resin body, was created to understand the influence of hydrophilicity on splash formation. The strength of hydrophilicity was determined by investigating degrees of swelling. We obtained consecutive images of splash formation by using a high-speed CMOS camera. We show that water-splash formation is related to water-film formation by studying: 1) droplets formed at the film edge, 2) mushroom-or dome-type splashes caused by film impinging, and 3) crown-type splash caused by film separation. The strength of hydrophilicity affects the splash-formation process of the mushroom- and crown-type splashes. The difference in formation process is caused when the film velocity increases with hydrophilicity. As the film velocity increases with strong hydrophilicity, the film flow separates from the body surface and an air cavity forms. Crown-type splashes form with hydrophilic bodies because such film separation occurs. Moreover, the relationship between the strength of hydrophilicity and film velocity was examined empirically. These results indicate that the hydrophilic body does not alter the splash-formation process.