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A physically‐based model of the dispersion of splash droplets ejected from a water drop impact
Author(s) -
Wright Andrew C
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290110402
Subject(s) - splash , drop (telecommunication) , mechanics , dispersion (optics) , erosion , environmental science , materials science , geology , physics , meteorology , optics , geomorphology , telecommunications , computer science
A model has been developed which predicts the dispersion of splash droplets produced by the impact of a water drop on a sloping soil surface. Experimental results of the ejection velocities and ejection angles of the splash droplets are generalized to a planar slope and the resulting splash distances are calculated taking into account the effects of air resistance. The predictions are presented in terms of the numbers of splash droplets from the impact point to surrounding squares arranged in a grid on the slope. The model explains many experimentally observed features of raindrop splash in terms of the mechanics of the processes involved and can make predictions of the effects of slope, wind, raindrop size, and soil properties on droplet dispersion. The component of the raindrop velocity parallel to the surface of the slope is identified as the main factor determining the degree and the direction of the asymmetry in the splash droplet dispersion. By combining the model with a theory of the entrapment of soil in the splash droplets it is possible to extend it to predict the dispersion of soil particles by raindrop impact, which is the basis of a model of soil erosion by rainsplash.