Simulating droplet motion on virtual leaf surfaces

Abstract

A curvilinear thin film model is used to simulate the motion of droplets on a virtual leaf surface, with a view to better understand the retention of agricultural sprays on plants. The governing model, adapted from Royet al.(2002J. Fluid Mech.454, 235–261 (doi:10.1017/S0022112001007133)) with the addition of a disjoining pressure term, describes the gravity- and curvature-driven flow of a small droplet on a complex substrate: a cotton leaf reconstructed from digitized scan data