Linear dependence of surface drag on surface viscosity

Flow at an air-water interface is limited by drag from both the two-dimensional surface and three-dimensional subphase. Separating these contributions to the interfacial drag is necessary to measure surface viscosity as well as to understand the influence of the interface on flow. In these experiments, a magnetic needle floating on a monolayer-covered air-water interface is put in motion by applying a constant magnetic force, F(m). The needle velocity varies exponentially with time, reaching a terminal velocity F(m)/C, in which C is the drag coefficient. C is shown to be linearly proportional to the monolayer surface viscosity, eta(s), for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine monolayers in the condensed phase by comparison to surface viscosity measured by channel viscometry.