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Terminal Settling Velocity of Cylindrical Rods of Various Shapes
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This study examined how shape variations in cylindrical plastic rods affect their terminal settling velocity in a viscous fluid, simulating microplastic fiber behavior in aquatic environments. Curved and U-shaped rods settled faster than straight rods of equivalent dimensions, demonstrating that fiber shape is a critical variable for accurately predicting microplastic transport and deposition.
In this research, a set of straight, curved, V-shaped, and U-shaped cylindrical rods are dropped in a chamber filled with a quiescent glycerin mixture to approximate the settling of microplastic fibres in the environment.The fall trajectory and terminal velocity of the rods are determined using cameras facing the two perpendicular sides of the chamber.The results show that the terminal velocities of the curved and V-shaped rods are greater than those of the straight rods with the same diameter and aspect ratio.U-shaped rods always exhibit a greater terminal velocity than straight rods with the same dimensions.As the aspect ratio of a U-shaped rod increases, the terminal velocity initially increases, reaches a peak value, and then decreases, reflecting the interplay between the length of the rod arms and the inclination angle.This research shows that fibre shape significantly affects the terminal velocity, which must, therefore, be included in future non-dimensional models to accurately predict the transport of microfibres in the environment.
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Terminal Settling Velocity of Cylindrical Rods with Various Geometries Applicable to Atmospheric Microplastics
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Researchers measured how the shape of cylindrical microplastic fibers affects their settling speed through air, finding that curved and V-shaped fibers fall significantly faster than straight ones — up to 57% faster for V-shaped rods — which matters for predicting how airborne microplastics disperse in the atmosphere.
Low Reynolds Number Settling of Cylindrical Rods with Various Geometries in a Quiescent Fluid
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Researchers experimentally investigated the settling behaviour of curved, V-shaped, U-shaped, and S-shaped cylindrical rods at low Reynolds numbers to improve models of atmospheric microplastic fibre transport, conducting experiments with millimeter-scale metal rods spanning aspect ratios from 10 to 120. The study found that fibre geometry significantly affects settling trajectories and drag compared to simplified sphere or straight-cylinder approximations used in current atmospheric transport models.
Settling velocity of microplastic particles of regular shapes
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This study measured the sinking velocities of spherical, cylindrical, and filament-shaped microplastic particles ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm, finding that shape strongly determines how quickly particles settle through the water column. Understanding settling behavior is essential for modeling how microplastics are transported and deposited in marine environments.
Settling velocity of microplastic particles having regular and irregular shapes
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Researchers measured how quickly microplastic particles of various shapes settle through water, testing 66 different particle types including spheres, cylinders, fibers, and irregular fragments. They found that particle shape significantly affects settling speed, with fibers and flat shapes sinking more slowly than spheres of the same size. The study provides new equations for predicting where microplastics end up in oceans and waterways based on their shape.
Improved Settling Velocity for Microplastic Fibers: A New Shape-Dependent Drag Model
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A new shape-dependent drag model was developed to better predict the settling velocities of microplastic fibers in aquatic environments, which are poorly described by equations derived for spherical particles. The improved model accounts for fiber shape and orientation, enabling more accurate predictions of microplastic transport and depth distribution in lakes and oceans.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.