TY - JOUR
T1 - The structure of foam cells
T2 - Isotropic Plateau polyhedra
AU - Hilgenfeldt, S.
AU - Kraynik, A. M.
AU - Reinelt, D. A.
AU - Sullivan, J. M.
PY - 2004/8/1
Y1 - 2004/8/1
N2 - A mean-field theory for the geometry and diffusive growth rate of soap bubbles in dry 3D foams is presented. Idealized foam cells called isotropic Plateau polyhedra (IPPs), with F identical spherical-cap faces, are introduced. The geometric properties (e.g., surface area 3, curvature R, edge length L, volume V) and growth rate script G sign of the cells are obtained as analytical functions of F, the sole variable. IPPs accurately represent average foam bubble geometry for arbitrary F ≥ 4, even though they are only constructible for F = 4,6,12. While H/V1/3, L/V1/3 and script G sign exhibit F1/2 behavior, the specific surface area S/V2/3 is virtually independent of F. The results are contrasted with those for convex isotropic polyhedra with flat faces.
AB - A mean-field theory for the geometry and diffusive growth rate of soap bubbles in dry 3D foams is presented. Idealized foam cells called isotropic Plateau polyhedra (IPPs), with F identical spherical-cap faces, are introduced. The geometric properties (e.g., surface area 3, curvature R, edge length L, volume V) and growth rate script G sign of the cells are obtained as analytical functions of F, the sole variable. IPPs accurately represent average foam bubble geometry for arbitrary F ≥ 4, even though they are only constructible for F = 4,6,12. While H/V1/3, L/V1/3 and script G sign exhibit F1/2 behavior, the specific surface area S/V2/3 is virtually independent of F. The results are contrasted with those for convex isotropic polyhedra with flat faces.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3843089327&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3843089327&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1209/epl/i2003-10295-7
DO - 10.1209/epl/i2003-10295-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:3843089327
SN - 0295-5075
VL - 67
SP - 484
EP - 490
JO - Europhysics Letters
JF - Europhysics Letters
IS - 3
ER -