An experimental and numerical study has been conducted to investigate the f
low field in the vicinity of a moving solid boundary that passes through a
free surface into a liquid phase. Through the use of particle image velocim
etry (PIV) techniques, the variation in the liquid velocity field in the vi
cinity of the three-phase contact line has been quantified for solid bounda
ry velocities ranging between 0.12 and 1.01 m s(-1). The experimental measu
rements provide good verification for a preliminary numerical model that pr
edicts the bulk-bath flow patterns and boundary layer thickness.