Capillary instability of a cylindrical jet with an elastic shroud: A modelfor the breakup of an oxidized metal jet

Stability of an inviscid axisymmetric jet of uniform surface tension and fl exural rigidity is investigated. It is shown that for large enough values o f flexural rigidity the capillary instabilities are suppressed. The result corroborates the observed stabilization and possible non-breakup of solder jets in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, which causes the appearance of a layer of oxides on the interface. The work is timely because of its direc t relevance to a host of emerging technologies exemplified by solder jettin g in the manufacturing of microelectronic components.