Three-dimensional shape of a drop under simple shear flow

The three-dimensional deformation of an isolated drop in an immiscible liquid phase undergoing simple shear flow was investigated by using a parallel-plate apparatus. The drop was observed by video-enhanced contrast optical microscopy, either along the vorticity direction or along the velocity gradient direction of the shear flow. An experimental methodology based on image analysis was especially developed to study in a quantitative way the three-dimensional shape of the deformed drop, both under steady-state flow and during transients. Up to moderate deformations, the steady-state drop shape was well described within experimental error by an ellipsoid having three different axes. The deviation of drop shape from an ellipsoid at higher deformations was also characterized in a quantitative way. Good agreement was found between the experimental results of this work and numerical simulations reported in the literature. (C) 1998 The Society of Rheology. [S0148-6055(98)00902-X].