1

Coffee cup
Ianko Pavel
Alexey Budantsev
The problem 2

Physicists like drinking coffee,

however walking between
laboratories with a cup of
coffee can be problematic.

Main task
Investigate how the shape of the
cup, speed of walking and other
parameters affect the likelihood
of coffee being spilt while
walking.
 3

First
observations
Cylindrical cup 4

R = 3.9 cm
Mobile measurements 5

Cup

Metronome

Camera
Natural step (2.5 Hz) 6
Quick step (3.5 Hz) 7
Even faster (4 Hz) 8
Preliminary conclusion 9

Excitation of coffee sloshing has

a resonance character.
Plan of the report 10

Resonant excitation of sloshing modes

Excitation during walking

Human hand as a dumper

The shape of a cup

 11

Forced
oscillations
Setup for vertical excitations 12

Cup

Mechanical
vibrator
Radial oscillation mode (240 fps) 13

f = 3.8 Hz
Setup for horizontal excitations 14

Cup

Force
sensor
Thread

Support

Mechanical
vibrator
Force vs. frequency 15

80
Н = 30 mm
U = 0,5 V
Force(mN)

60

40
Natural liquid’s
frequency

3,25 3,30 3,35 3,40 3,45 3,50 3,55 3,60 3,65

Frequency(Hz)
Tilting oscillation mode (video) 16

Resonance f = 3.5 Hz
 17

Theoretical model.
Pendulum
hypothesis.
Frequency estimation 18

2 g
 
R
R
Theory for cylindrical cup 19

2 g  H  2 g  2 g
   tanh     1   2   
R  R  R  R

1  0,02

Theory

  1,8

H. Lamb, Hydrodynamics (Dover, NY, 1945)

Resonant frequency vs. depth 20

5
Resonant frequency (Hz)

2 g
2 1 g  1.8  R
1,35 
Nice 2 H
1 agreement!

0
0 10 20 30 40
Depth (mm)
 21

Acceleration
of a cup
during walking
Mobile measurements 22

Vertical
Cup
Lateral

Back-and-forth

Accelerometer
& metronome

Camera
Lateral resonance acceleration 23

0,25

0,20
a = 0.15±0,1 m/s2
0,15

0,10

0,05
a(m/c )
2

0,00

-0,05

-0,10

-0,15

0 5 10 15 20
t(c)
Vertical resonance acceleration 24

0,3 a = 0.25±0,1 m/s2

0,2

0,1
a(m/c )
2

0,0

-0,1

-0,2

-0,3

-0,4
0 5 10 15 20
t(c)
Back-and-forth resonance acceleration 25

0,6 a = 0.5±0,1 m/s2

0,4

0,2
a(m/c )
2

0,0

-0,2

-0,4

-0,6
0 5 10 15 20
t(c)
Back-and-forth acceleration spectrum 26

60

f0= 3.4 Hz
f0 2f0
40
Magnitude

20
3f0

0
0 4 8 12 16 20
Frequency
Vertical acceleration spectrum 27

35

30
2f0 f0= 3.4 Hz
25

3f0
Magnitude

20

15

10 f0
5

0
0 4 8 12 16 20
Frequency
Lateral acceleration spectrum 28

45

40
f0= 3.4 Hz
35 f0 /2
30
Magnitude

25

20

15

10 f0
5 2f0
0
0 4 8 12 16 20
Frequency
Conclusion 29

Back-and-forth acceleration
makes a dominant contribution
in coffee sloshing.
Amplitude during walking 30

29 mm

Back-and-forth acceleration 0.5 m/s2

Horizontal excitation experiment 31

Sloshing amplitude (mm)

30

25

20

15

10

0
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7
Acceleration (m/s2)
 32

Human hand
as a dumper
Human hand as a damper 33

Frequencies of human walking

Due to its own natural frequencies

human hand damps this excitation

Natural frequencies of
liquid oscillations in the cup
Experiment with fixed hand 34

Accelerometer
#1

Cup

Hand fixation

Accelerometer
#2
Acceleration spectrum 35

Body
450

Fixed hand
Magnitude

300

150 Free hand

0
2 4 6 8 10 12
Frequency (Hz)
 36

Сup geometry
Cylindrical cup 37

R = 3.9 cm
Resonant frequency vs. depth 38

5
Resonant frequency (Hz)

2 g
2 1  g  1.8 
1,35  R
2 H
1

0
0 10 20 30 40
Depth (mm)
Model 39

2 g
 
R
Resonant frequency weakly depends on the
depth until the depth becomes comparable
with the radius
Hemispherical cup 40

R = 6.5 cm
Experiment 41

3
Resonant frequency (Hz)

2 g
1
 
R

0
0 10 20 30 40
Depth (mm)
Model 42

R
H
RH

2 g g
  
R H
Conical glass 43

R = 6.3 cm
Resonant frequency vs. depth 44

5
Resonant frequency (Hz)

2 2 g
  12.2 
1
H

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Depth (mm)
 45

Summary
Conclusions 46
References 47

• Ikeda T., Murakami S. (2005) “Autoparametric resonances in a

structure/fluid interaction system carrying a cylindrical liquid
tank.” J. Sound Vibr. 285, 517–546.
• Mayer H.C., Krechetnikov R. (2012) “Walking with coffee:
Why does it spill?” Phys. Rev. E 85, 046117
48
Advices 49

• The frequency of your steps

should not be equal to the
natural frequency of coffee
oscillations.
• Relax your hand and it will
act as a damper for coffee ?
sloshing.
• Small cups are better than
large ones, for their natural
frequencies are higher.