Supressed splashing on elastic membranes.

The dynamics of drop impact on solid surfaces can be changed significantly by tuning the elasticity of the solid. Most prominently, the substrate deformation causes an increase in the splashing threshold as compared to impact onto perfectly rigid surfaces, and can thus lead to splash suppression. Here, we experimentally determine the splashing threshold for impact on thin membranes as a function of the tension in the membrane and its elastic properties. The drop dynamics is correlated to the membrane deformation, which is simultaneously measured using a laser profilometry technique. The experimental results enable us to adapt current models for splashing, showing quantitatively how substrate deformation alters the splashing threshold.