Amirhossein Hamidi, Daniel Daramsing, Mark D. Gordon, Liisa M. Jantunen, Ronald E. Hanson

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: Microplastics; Microfibres; Settling Velocity; Particle; Environment.

Date Published: August 16, 2024
DOI: 10.11159/jffhmt.2024.024

View Article