Capillarity

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Capillarity or capillary action is the ability of a narrow tube to draw a liquid upwards against the force of gravity.

The height of liquid in a tube due to capillarity can be expressed as

h = 2 σ cosθ / (ρ g r)         (1)

where

h = height of liquid (ft, m)

σ = surface tension (lb/ft, N/m)

θ = contact angle

ρ = density of liquid (lb/ft³, kg/m³)

g = acceleration due to gravity (32.174 ft/s², 9.81 m/s²)

r = radius of tube (ft, m)

Surface Tension

Surface tension is typically measured in dynes/cm or N/m.

Capillarity, like surface tension, decreases with increasing temperature. Its temperature variation, however, is small and insignificant in most problems.

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Related Topics

• Fluid Mechanics - The study of fluids - liquids and gases. Involves various properties of the fluid, such as velocity, pressure, density and temperature, as functions of space and time.

Related Documents

• Surface Tension - Surface tension of some common liquids like water, mercury, oils and more
• Surface Tension of Water in contact with Air - Surface tension of water in contact with air for temperatures ranging 0 - 100 ^oC (32 - 212 ^oF) - in imperial units (BG units) and SI units