Experimental investigation of thermocapillary migration of two drops

Experiments were performed on the migration andinteraction of two drops under the action of an applied temperature gradienton the ground. Pure soybean oil and silicon oil were used as continuousmedium and as experimental medium in drops respectively. Images of theseexperiments were recorded and later analyzed to obtain data on thetrajectories and velocities of two drops. The results demonstrate that theeffect of the larger drop on the motion of the smaller one becomessignificant with the two drops approaching each other, while the effect ofthe smaller one on the larger remains weak. And the oscillation phenomenonof migration velocities of both drops is found during the approach. Even thesmaller one moves backwards in a short time when two drops migrate side byside. They display the congruence and difference between the experimentalresults and numerical simulations.