A coupled level set projection method applied to ink jet simulation

  • Jiun-Der Yu

    Epson Research and Development, Inc., Palo Alto, United States
  • SHINRI SAKAI

    Seiko Epson Corporation, Nagano, Japan
  • James A. Sethian

    University of California, Berkeley, USA

Abstract

A finite difference level set-projection method on rectangular grid is developed for piezoelectric ink jet simulation. The model is based on the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible two-phase flows in the presence of surface tension and density jump across the interface separating ink and air, coupled to an electric circuit model which describes the driving mechanism behind the process, and a macroscopic contact model which describes the air-ink-wall dynamics. We simulate the axisymmetric flow using a combination of second order projection methods to solve the fluid equations and level set methods to track the air/ink interface. The numerical method can be used to analyze the motion of the interface, breakoff and formation of satellites, and effect of nozzle geometry on droplet size and motion. We focus on close comparison of our numerical ink jet simulation with experimental data

Cite this article

Jiun-Der Yu, SHINRI SAKAI, James A. Sethian, A coupled level set projection method applied to ink jet simulation. Interfaces Free Bound. 5 (2003), no. 4, pp. 459–482

DOI 10.4171/IFB/87