The problem of freely‐suspended liquid droplets deforming due to an applied electrostatic field is examined. Developed is a numerical model capable of predicting the complete transient histories of droplets in systems with a wide range of dispersedand continuous‐phase densities, viscosities, relative permittivities, and electric field strengths. For liquid/gas systems, the predictions of the numerical model demonstrated that the critical field strength and critical permittivity ratio during actual transient breakup are not necessarily the same as those predicted by steady‐state theories. An approximate analytical model of transient droplet deformation is also developed, which is able to predict the deformation time histories for large Ohnesorge number, small‐deformation liquid/liquid systems. The approximate analytical model agreed well with the results of the complete numerical model.
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Haywood et al. (1991) studied this question.