Stability of a growing end rim in a liquid sheet of uniform thickness

We study the stability of a viscous liquid layer of uniform thickness subje ct only to viscous stresses and surface tension. We show that the growing c ylindrical end rim does not typically break into droplets for moderate wave lengths. Thus, other mechanisms are needed to cause the instabilities, whic h, for instance, lead to the famous milk crown. The problem remains open fo r very large wavelengths. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-66 31(99)01604-9].