Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, Vol.167, No.1, 66-73, 1994
Capillary Image Forces .2. Experiment
The capillary meniscus interaction between a floating submillimeter particle and a vertical wall is experimentally studied. It is proven that the interplay of the capillary image force from one side and the gravity and buoyancy forces from the other side can lead to the appearance of a stable equilibrium position of the particle at a finite distance from the wall. The dependence of the equilibrium separation on the particle size, three-phase contact angle, and other parameters is investigated and compared with the theory developed in the first part of this study. The agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions is very good. A simple method for determination of the three-phase contact angle of millimeter- and submillimeter-size particles, floating attached to a fluid interface, is described.