On equilibrium conditions at junctions of anisotropic interfaces

The issue of mechanical equilibrium conditions at junctions of sharp anisotropic interfaces is addressed. The well known Herring conditions are valid for a given junction direction. It is shown that if a system of interface segments joint along a line is allowed to change line direction, some additional relations are applicable. They are derived using the Hoffman–Cahn formalism of capillarity vector. As an example proving significance of the additional relations, criteria for wetting of anisotropic boundaries are considered. If the direction of the triple line is fixed, the criteria are shown to be different from those known for isotropic interfaces. C 2005 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.