Variational approach to contact line dynamics for thin films

Abstract

This paper investigates a variational approach to viscous flows with contact line dynamics based on energy-dissipation modeling. The corresponding model is reduced to a thin-film equation and its variational structure is also constructed and discussed. Feasibility of this modeling approach is shown by constructing a numerical scheme in 1D and by computing numerical solutions for the problem of gravity driven droplets. Some implications of the contact line model are highlighted in this setting.