Effective longitudinal slip over grooves encapsulated by a nearly inviscid lubricant
Abstract
We calculate the effective slip length for a rectangularly grooved periodic surface encapsulated (i.e., fully wetted) by a lubricant fluid and subjected to exterior shear flow parallel to the grooves. Our focus is the limit of a nearly-inviscid lubricant, where the ratio $μ$ of the lubricant viscosity to that of the exterior fluid is small. This limit is singular for an encapsulated surface, indicating a dominant lubricant-flow effect - a stark contrast to superhydrophobic surfaces where the role of the lubricant is typically negligible.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity
Tribology and Lubrication Engineering
Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films
Publication details
- Journal / source
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Publication date
- 28 January 2026
- Document type
- Preprint