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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Torques on curved atmospheric fibres
ClearTorques on curved atmospheric fibers
This physics study derived a mathematical model describing how curved fibers — such as curved microplastic fibers or ash particles — rotate and orient themselves as they settle through still air. Unlike symmetric particles, curved fibers experience fluid-inertia torques that tilt them at oblique angles, affecting how far they travel and where they deposit. The work is relevant to understanding airborne microplastic fiber transport: curved fibers behave differently from straight ones or spherical particles, and accurate transport models are needed to predict their deposition patterns.
A physics-based and orientation-aware method for the direct calculation of the settling speed of prolate spheroidal particles in the atmosphere : theoretical basis and comparison to laboratory and CFL data
Researchers developed a physics-based, orientation-aware method for calculating the settling speed of prolate spheroidal particles such as microplastic fibres in the atmosphere, grounding the approach in theoretical drag and orientation models rather than purely empirical fits and validating it against laboratory and CFD data.
Low Reynolds Number Settling of Cylindrical Rods with Various Geometries in a Quiescent Fluid
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.
Inertial settling of an arbitrarily oriented cylinder in a quiescent flow : from short-time to quasi-steady motion
This study modeled the inertial settling behavior of cylindrical particles — which can represent microplastic fibers — falling through still water. Researchers derived mathematical expressions for how cylinders orient and accelerate during settling at both short and long time scales. Understanding how fiber-shaped microplastics settle is important for predicting where they accumulate in aquatic environments.
Gravitational settling of microplastic fibers: experimental results and implications for global transport
This study measured the gravitational settling velocities of microplastic fibers and found that their non-spherical shape causes them to settle much more slowly than spheres of the same volume. Current atmospheric transport models that assume spherical particles significantly underestimate how long fibers remain airborne. These results have important implications for predicting how far microplastic fibers can travel before depositing.
Terminal Settling Velocity of Cylindrical Rods with Various Geometries Applicable to Atmospheric Microplastics
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.
Modeling the Gravitational Settling of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere
Researchers developed and applied a model for gravitational settling of microplastic fibers in the atmosphere, examining how fiber shape and size influence atmospheric residence time and deposition patterns to better understand the global atmospheric transport cycle of microplastics.
Twist, turn and encounter: the trajectories of small atmospheric particles unravelled
Experiments and simulations studied how non-spherical solid particles (including microplastics) settle through air, finding unexpectedly complex tumbling and spiraling trajectories even at low speeds. These insights improve predictions of how airborne microplastic particles travel and deposit across landscapes.
Microfiber behavior in turbulence and in quiescent conditions: insights from 3D high-speed measurements
Researchers investigated the settling dynamics of microplastic fibers with high aspect ratios under turbulent and quiescent airflow conditions, using 3D high-speed measurements to show that existing drag models fail to accurately predict settling velocities of these anisotropic curved fibers with diameters of 10-100 micrometers.
Long-distance atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers depends on their shapes
Researchers developed a theory-based settling velocity model for microplastic fibers in the atmosphere that accounts for fiber shape and cross-sectional dimensions, finding that correctly characterising flat fibers rather than treating them as cylinders increases estimated mean atmospheric residence time by over 450%, suggesting the ocean is a major source of airborne plastic and that long-range transport is far more efficient than previously thought.
Inertia Induces Strong Orientation Fluctuations of Nonspherical Atmospheric Particles
Researchers experimentally demonstrated that heavy, nonspherical particles settling in still air exhibit decaying orientation oscillations, while the same particles in liquids relax smoothly without oscillating. Theoretical analysis revealed that these oscillations are driven by particle inertia due to the large mass-density ratio between the particles and air. The findings are relevant for modeling the behavior of atmospheric particles like volcanic ash and ice crystals, which influence climate and weather patterns.
Shape matters: long-range transport of microplastic fibers in the atmosphere
This study modeled the long-range atmospheric transport of microplastic fibers, finding that their elongated non-spherical shape causes them to travel much farther than spherical particles before settling. This helps explain why microplastic fibers are found even in the most remote locations on Earth, far from any plastic pollution source.
Atmospheric transport of microplastic particles as a function of their size and shape
Researchers investigated the atmospheric transport and settling of microplastic particles as a function of size and shape, implementing a shape-correction parameterization for fiber-shaped particles in an atmospheric transport model to better represent their reduced gravitational settling velocity compared to spheres. The study showed that non-spherical fibers experience greater atmospheric drag, increasing their residence time and transport distance, and that including shape effects improved agreement between model output and ground-based measurements.
Full rotational dynamics of plastic microfibers in turbulence
Researchers conducted Lagrangian experiments on elongated, large aspect-ratio curved plastic microfibers near the Kolmogorov length scale in turbulence, tracking their three-dimensional orientation optically to characterize rotational dynamics and settling behavior that govern microplastic transport and dispersion in the ocean.
Inertial effects on the transport of an anisotropic particle in surface gravity waves
Researchers modeled the transport and rotation of ellipsoidal particles — representing microplastic fibers and other non-spherical shapes — in surface ocean waves. They found that particle shape significantly affects horizontal drift, with elongated particles drifting at different rates than spheres. These results indicate that accurately predicting the transport of fiber microplastics in the ocean requires accounting for particle shape.
Atmospheric transport dynamics of microplastic fibres
Researchers examined the atmospheric transport dynamics of microplastic fibres within boundary layer flows, comparing their motion to mineral grain transport and finding key differences in behaviour that have important implications for modelling the long-range atmospheric dispersal of microplastics to remote and rural locations.
Twist, turn and encounter: the trajectories of small atmospheric particles unravelled
This study used trajectory modeling to trace the movement of small atmospheric particles including microplastics, uncovering complex transport pathways driven by turbulence, wind patterns, and particle size interactions.
Effects of Shape and Size on Microplastic Atmospheric Settling Velocity
Researchers measured atmospheric settling and horizontal drift velocities of various microplastic shapes and sizes in controlled settling chambers, providing empirical data needed to improve atmospheric transport models that explain how microplastics reach remote environments.
The atmospheric settling of commercially sold microplastics
Researchers measured the gravitational settling velocities of commercially available glitter microplastics (0.1-3 mm nominal diameter) and synthetic fibers (1.2-5 mm length) in air, finding that non-spherical shapes cause complex settling behaviors that deviate substantially from spherical particle models used in atmospheric transport models.
Inertial loads on a finite-length cylinder embedded in a steady uniform flow
Researchers modeled inertial forces acting on a finite-length cylinder embedded in steady uniform flow, contributing to the fluid dynamics understanding relevant to fiber and microplastic transport in aquatic environments. The computational findings improve predictions of how elongated particles move and settle in flowing water.
Transport of anisotropic particles under waves
A computer model showed that non-spherical particles (like many microplastic fragments and fibers) behave differently from spherical ones in wave-driven water flow, affecting how they orient and where they travel. Accounting for particle shape is important for accurately predicting where microplastic debris accumulates in coastal and ocean environments.
Microplastic shape affects travel distance
Researchers found that microplastic shape significantly influences atmospheric transport distance, with fibre and complex-shaped particles travelling farther than spherical ones assumed in most models, helping explain the detection of microplastics in remote locations such as Antarctica and Mount Fuji.
On the fully coupled dynamics of flexible fibres dispersed in modulated turbulence
Researchers investigated the dynamics of flexible elastic fibers freely suspended in turbulent flow using direct numerical simulations, finding that fiber inertia, flexibility, and turbulence intensity interact to produce complex deformation and preferential concentration behaviors relevant to microplastic fiber transport.
Shape Matters: Long-Range Transport of Microplastic Fibers in the Atmosphere
Researchers used atmospheric modeling to explain how microplastic fibers can travel long distances through the air, even reaching remote locations far from population centers. They found that the elongated shape of fibers gives them significantly different aerodynamic properties than spherical particles, allowing them to stay airborne much longer. The study helps explain why microplastics have been detected in pristine environments like mountain peaks and polar regions.