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When a drop of liquid hits a surface at a sufficiently high speed, it splashes—that much isn't in doubt. But sometimes splashing isn't helpful. Researchers are working on methods of 'splash avoidance' that could prevent splashback of harmful or unhygienic fluids in a range of settings, from hospitals to kitchens - and perhaps even urinals.
In a new paper led by scientists at the University of Oxford and published in the journal Physical Review Letters, researchers show that coating a surface in a thin layer of a soft material like a gel or rubber could provide a simple solution to this problem.
Lead researcher Professor Alfonso Castrejón-Pita, Royal Society University Research Fellow in Oxford's Department of Engineering Science, said: 'We realised that no one had actually studied systematically what happens when droplets hit soft substrates. In our study, we dropped ethanol droplets on to soft materials made of silicone—the material often used in bathroom sealants. Silicone is very useful, as it can be made to have different levels of stiffness, ranging from a material comparable to jelly to something with a consistency more like that of a pencil rubber.
'We filmed the impacts with a high-speed camera at speeds of up to 100,000 frames per second—around 4,000 times faster than a typical mobile phone—and then studied the splashing dynamics. Combining these experiments with some theoretical modelling and detailed computer simulations, we found that tiny deformations of the substrate occur within the first 30 microseconds after impact, which, surprisingly, can be just enough to completely suppress splashing.
You're supposed to aim for the fly.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Friday November 11 2016, @03:15PM
Just aim at an angle, not perpendicular to the surface.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @03:58PM
The best way is to aim upwards at a precise angle of 60°. That angle keeps the stream coherent, thereby reducing errant droplets. Scientifically proven by attaching a protractor to the test subjects penises and adjusting the angle one degree at a time to find the ultimate angle of the dangle.
(Score: 2) by TheLink on Friday November 11 2016, @04:19PM
Flushing first might help too since it makes the surfaces wet. I suspect water streams would stick more to wet urinal surfaces than to the dry ones.
That they used ethanol droplets on silicone could mean doing the tests with real water didn't give as publishable results ;) . Why use ethanol instead of water?
'We realised that no one had actually studied systematically what happens when droplets hit soft substrates. In our study, we dropped ethanol droplets on to soft materials made of silicone
A layer of water on a urinal surface should be softer than the dry surface.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @05:05PM
That would be easier if they didn't specifically design some urinals to make it impossible to hit any surface that isn't nearly perpendicular to the stream.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday November 11 2016, @05:23PM
I have yet to understand why they don't just make all urinals with a conical shape. With an angle under 90 degrees, almost everything that bounces will bounce towards the opposite surface.
Seen it in a couple public bathrooms, so it's not a revolutionary concept.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @08:10PM
0) Most designers are crap?
1) "Market differentiation".
2) Patents?
I'm similarly disappointed with the furniture industry - we've been making chairs for thousands of years and still way too many chairs are overpriced crap.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @10:25PM
Wouldn't your penis get stuck?