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ABSTRACT
Many ambient and workplace aerosols of health effects concerns are composed of particulate matter having fibrous or aggregate shapes. Aerosols used in medical research for treatment of lung diseases also have rod-like forms. The deposition sites of inhaled particles in the human respiratory system are primarily related to their aerodynamic characteristics. Therefore, to assess potential exposure hazards and prophylactic applications it is necessary to have accurate kinetic classifications of airborne particulate matter.
Centrifugal spectrometers give direct and continuously graded measures of the aerodynamic size distributions of sampled aerosols. A mathematical description of particle behavior in spiral channel centrifuges has been presented, and substantiated by comparisons with laboratory calibration data using polystyrene latex spheres. Here, the theory is extended to non-spherical forms by incorporating appropriate dynamic particle shape resistance factors in trajectory equations. This permits the a priori determination of operating conditions for the high-resolution characterization of fibrous aerosols.
