Sarah Morris1, William McAtee2, Jesse Capecelatro3, Vrishank Raghav4. 1. Auburn University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Auburn, AL, USA. sem0116@auburn.edu. 2. Auburn University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Auburn, AL, USA. 3. University of Michigan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. 4. Auburn University, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Auburn, AL, USA. raghav@auburn.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Expiratory events, such as coughs, are often pulsatile in nature and result in vortical flow structures that transport expiratory particles. The World Health Organization recommends wearing face masks to reduce the airborne transmission of diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). However, masks are not perfect as flow leakage occurs around the mask, and their effectiveness under realistic (multi-pulse) coughing conditions is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of expiratory flow pulsatility on the effectiveness of a surgical face mask by quantifying and classifying the flow leakage around the mask. METHODS: A custom-built pulsatile expiratory flow simulator is used to generate single- and multi-pulsed coughing events. Flow visualization and particle image velocimetry are used to assess the penetration distance and volume of leakage flow at the top and sides of a surgical mask. RESULTS: Leakage flow velocity profiles at the top and sides of a surgical mask take the form of a wall jet and a free-shear jet, respectively. Multi-pulsed expiratory flow events are found to generate greater leakage flow around the mask than single-pulsed events. SIGNIFICANCE: For the first time, the leakage volume of a surgical mask is shown to be correlated to the pulsatile nature of a cough. IMPACT STATEMENT: The novelties of this study are: First, flow field measurements are used to quantify and classify the leakage flow fields around the top and sides of a surgical mask, providing a benchmark for quantitative modeling of leakage flow velocity profiles. Second, the influence of pulsatility on the effectiveness of surgical face masks is studied by quantifying the leakage volume. For the first time, the leakage volume of a surgical mask is shown to be correlated to the pulsatile nature of a cough, as multi-pulsed expiratory flow events are found to generate greater flow leakage around the mask than single-pulsed events.
BACKGROUND: Expiratory events, such as coughs, are often pulsatile in nature and result in vortical flow structures that transport expiratory particles. The World Health Organization recommends wearing face masks to reduce the airborne transmission of diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). However, masks are not perfect as flow leakage occurs around the mask, and their effectiveness under realistic (multi-pulse) coughing conditions is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of expiratory flow pulsatility on the effectiveness of a surgical face mask by quantifying and classifying the flow leakage around the mask. METHODS: A custom-built pulsatile expiratory flow simulator is used to generate single- and multi-pulsed coughing events. Flow visualization and particle image velocimetry are used to assess the penetration distance and volume of leakage flow at the top and sides of a surgical mask. RESULTS: Leakage flow velocity profiles at the top and sides of a surgical mask take the form of a wall jet and a free-shear jet, respectively. Multi-pulsed expiratory flow events are found to generate greater leakage flow around the mask than single-pulsed events. SIGNIFICANCE: For the first time, the leakage volume of a surgical mask is shown to be correlated to the pulsatile nature of a cough. IMPACT STATEMENT: The novelties of this study are: First, flow field measurements are used to quantify and classify the leakage flow fields around the top and sides of a surgical mask, providing a benchmark for quantitative modeling of leakage flow velocity profiles. Second, the influence of pulsatility on the effectiveness of surgical face masks is studied by quantifying the leakage volume. For the first time, the leakage volume of a surgical mask is shown to be correlated to the pulsatile nature of a cough, as multi-pulsed expiratory flow events are found to generate greater flow leakage around the mask than single-pulsed events.
Authors: Neeltje van Doremalen; Trenton Bushmaker; Dylan H Morris; Myndi G Holbrook; Amandine Gamble; Brandi N Williamson; Azaibi Tamin; Jennifer L Harcourt; Natalie J Thornburg; Susan I Gerber; James O Lloyd-Smith; Emmie de Wit; Vincent J Munster Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2020-03-17 Impact factor: 91.245