Phase diagrams and interface in inflating balloon

When a cylindrical balloon is inflated, inflation often takes place nonuniformly, inflated near one end first and followed by the growth of this part along the entire cylinder. This phenomenon is discussed from the phase‐transition perspective in terms of the Gent model, a free‐energy model that has the same structure as that of the gas–liquid transition in normal fluids. A phase diagram which describes the inflation behavior is constructed, showing the binodal and spinodal curves terminated at a critical point. The hysteresis effects are discussed based on the phase diagram. The interface between the coexisting inflated and weakly inflated regions along the cylindrical balloon is also examined, and the interfacial thickness and the interfacial energy are numerically calculated. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1393–1399, 2014