Transfer of Drop Material during the Formation of a Primary Cavity

For the first time, the transfer of the substance of a free-falling drop into a resting target fluid at the stage of formation of a primary cavity was tracked by high-speed video recording. In the experiments, water-diluted drops in a ratio of 1 : 100 ink solution or a saturated solution of baking soda with a diameter of \(D = 0.43\) cm fell at a velocity of U = 3.1 m/s into water or a 20% ammonium thiocyanate solution in the splash formation mode. In all experiments, the wall of the growing cavity is pierced by thin fibers containing drop material, which form an intermediate fine-structured layer. After the end of the fiber growth stage with a duration of 7–8 ms and diffusion smoothing of the concentration gradients, a liquid layer of intermediate density with a thickness of 1.5 to 0.7 mm is formed around the growing cavity. The layer is separated by a sharp boundary from the target fluid. A new group of inclined fibrous loops is formed in the wake of the collapsing cavity.