Drop Formation from a Liquid Jet: A Linear One-dimensional Analysis Considered as a Boundary Value Problem

Using a one-dimensional model, the author studied drop formation using a boundary value perturbation, rather than a spatially periodic one as considered by Rayleigh. The Rayleigh solution becomes the high jet velocity approximation to this linear analysis. At lower velocities the analysis shows that the medium becomes dispersive, and drop formation characteristics are quite different from that predicted by Rayleigh. In an appendix, the gross momentum balance and flow rate conservation are used to consider drop formation from a stream.