Freezing and Capillarity

Abstract

Ice structures such as accretion on airplanes, wires, or roadways; ice falls; ice stalactites; frozen rivers; and aufeis are formed by the freezing of capillary flows (drops, rivulets, and films). To understand these phenomena, a detailed exploration of the complex coupling between capillary flow and solidification is necessary. Among the many scientific questions that remain open in order to understand these problems are the confinement of the thermal boundary layer by the free surface, the interaction between a freezing front and a free surface, the effect of freezing on the contact line motion, etc. This review focuses mainly on water and ice, discussing the theoretical framework and recent developments in the main areas of the freezing–capillarity interaction. The text deeply explores the freezing of a moving drop or a rivulet and the fundamental problem of wetting water on ice. Additionally, it highlights some of the main open questions on the subject.