CFD simulation of wettability of laser-structured surfaces

This paper describes the numerical analysis of the wettability of the micro structured surfaces. The structure of the surface are the grooves created by the laser ablation. The main goal is to find the influence of the groove parameters on the wettability, specifically the contact angle. Ansys Fluent using the VOF method for multiphase simulation is used. In total, five different structures were investigated. The work started with the validation of the CFD methodology based on the experimental data for some structures. The CFD analysis was then performed. The fields of volume fraction as a results have been assessed to reach the contact angle value. The influence of structure parameters on the contact angle value were discussed. Finally, the recommendations for the optimal structure were defined