(124a) Boundary Integral Simulations of Droplet Coalescence

We consider boundary integral simulations for the collision and coalescence of two equal size drops in a head-on collision trajectory in an axisymmetric straining flow. It is assumed that the drops are axisymmetric in shape. The calculations go from widely separated drops all the way to film rupture via the onset of van der Waals forces across the thin film. In this talk, we discuss some important details of the computational method, but then focus on comparisons between the computed results and recently published experimental data from our group.