A new method for the characterization of electrically conducting liquid bridges

An electrical conductance technique is employed in investigating the behavi or of constant volume liquid bridges when their length is altered. The liqu id bridges are edge-pinned between two vertical, identical rods with a vari able separation distance. Rods of different radius, material, and edge geom etry are examined as they play a role in the response of the system. It is shown that liquid bridge volume and rod radius are the parameters that main ly influence the conductance signal. A mathematical framework is developed for the identification of the geometrical characteristics of liquid bridges explicitly from conductance data. The role of gravity is discussed in both the experiments and the theoretical analysis. The theoretical predictions obtained show a close agreement with measurements. (C) 2000 Academic Press.