An experimental investigation of resuspension due to walking

Abstract

The behaviour of aerosol contaminants is crucial to the biological welfare of the human population. Deadly diseases can be transmitted via airborne particles. When aerosol contaminants are introduced into an enclosed indoor environment, it might remain as airborne particles or settle down and deposit onto interior surfaces. There is also a possibility of attaching itself to dust particles that are already present. Human beings spend most of their time indoors whether at work or at home. Studies done by Wallace (1996) showed that exposure to micro sized particulate matter is prominent in these indoor environments. Inhalation of such particulates lead to respiratory diseases like asthma and also allow infectious disease to roam around when they attach themselves to dust particles.

One of the most common activities that cause resuspension is the human activity of walking. Walking causes aerodynamic swirls and also mechanical vibrations that resuspend particles. Since walking is an event that is necessary to move from one place to another, it is studied in detail. Another parameter that is important to investigate is the walking motion over different common flooring materials. It is found that different flooring materials give rise to different resuspension rates due to the difference in adhesive forces on different surfaces and also the smoothness and characteristics of the material itself.

Due to its impact on our daily lives and for future prevention purposes, it is necessary to understand more about resuspension and its underlying mechanisms. This experiment focuses on determining the resuspension factors for three different speeds and three different common flooring materials. Understanding the mechanism of re-suspended particles will help to improve any predictive tools for an indoor environment.