Reducing Foam Friction with Self Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper investigates self-slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces to reduce foam friction, demonstrating effective friction mitigation through experimental measurements and modeling, with implications for energy-efficient foam flow management.

Contribution

It introduces a novel self-infused surface design and models the friction reduction mechanism, advancing understanding of foam-surface interactions for flow control.

Findings

Self-slippery surfaces significantly reduce foam friction.

Friction force varies with velocity and can be modeled by slip length.

Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the surface design.

Abstract

Acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between foam friction and surface roughness is essential for achieving precise control over their flow dynamics. In particular, a major challenge is to reduce friction, which can be achieved with rough surfaces in the situation where a liquid infuses the asperities. In this study, we propose to explore self-infused surfaces. We first present simple observations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our surface design by recording the motion of a foam puddle on a smooth surface and a self-SLIPS. To quantify friction reduction, we conduct stress measurements on surfaces moved at a constant velocity. Finally, we interpret the variation of the friction force with the velocity by a model considering an effective slip length of the surface. This research paves the way for a novel approach to mitigate dissipation in liquid foam flows, holding significant implications for reducing energy consumption in conveying foams for industrial processes and various end-use applications.