Evidence of inter-particles collision effect in airflow resuspension of poly-dispersed non-spherical tungsten particles in monolayer deposits

Poly-dispersed particle resuspension by turbulent airflow was experimentally studied in a wind tunnel called BISE. The set-up was carefully validated to produce reference airflows with three absolute pressures and friction velocities values. Monolayer deposits of poly-dispersed tungsten particles on tungsten surfaces were used for the experiments. The fraction of detached particles by size bin from 1 μm to 50 μm was quantified to analyze the effects of friction velocity, absolute pressure and particles concentration on surface. Comparison of the results with Rock'n Roll and Monte-Carlo resuspension modeling revealed discrepancies for particles behavior with diameter below 4.5 μm. These discrepancies could not be understood by assessment of particle-surface adhesion force distribution carried out with Atomic Force Microscopy analysis. For particle surface concentrations ranging from 35 to 100 mm−2, a collision effect was identified due to the concentration and poly-dispersion of particles deposited on the surface. Indeed, when analyzing the experimental data, a good linear correlation is obtained between the fraction of the small particles detached and a collision parameter, demonstrating that collisions could be responsible for the unexpectedly high resuspended fraction observed for particle size below 4.5 μm in diameter. The experimental data and the analysis presented in the paper show that particle surface concentration and collision effects are clearly relevant and should be considered in the above-mentioned resuspension models, especially for poly-dispersed particles assessment. •Airflow resuspension experiments of micron-sized tungsten particles are presented.•Particle surface concentration, friction velocity and absolute pressure were studied.•AFM study and theoretical analysis failed to explain the high resuspension fraction observed for particle sizes below 4.5 μm.•A collision effect explaining inter-particle interaction before airflow detachment was identified.