CAPILLARY PHENOMENA IN ASSEMBLIES OF PARALLEL CYLINDERS .2. CAPILLARY RISE IN SYSTEMS WITH MORE THAN 2 CYLINDERS

A previously developed theory of the capillary rise between two closely spaced cylinders has been extended to systems of three and four equidistant cylinders as a function of the distance of separation and the contact angle. The multicylinder system has also been treated. At small separations between the cylinders there is a high saddle-shaped meniscus between each pair of adjacent cylinders and a low meniscus in the channel between the three or four cylinders. Above a certain distance of separation one meniscus remains. The analysis used to solve these problems can be utilized also to obtain the meniscus height in closed capillaries of noncircular cross section. As examples, the cases of triangular and square capillaries are discussed. In all systems it is assumed that the height of the meniscus is much greater than the radius of the cylinders (or the dimensions of the closed capillaries). For some cases the errors involved are estimated. © 1969.