Representation of the moving contact line in the equations of fluid mechanics

Although the contact angle at equilibrium has a well understood theory for the case of flat homogeneous solid surfaces, the displacement of the contact line is still not well understood. We propose to introduce in the dynamics of the contact line a mobility relation between the deviation of the contact angle out of its equilibrium value and the speed of the line on the solid. When the line slides on the solid thanks to an evaporation/condensation process, this introduces a dynamical Arrhenius factor that may be sufficiently small to make the mobility of the contact line the limiting factor of the dynamics in many physical situations. Then, the shape of the liquid/vapor interface will be in quasi equilibrium giving a contact angle that will define ultimately the speed of the contact line. (C) 2000 Academie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.