Generation of monodisperse fibrous glass aerosols

Investigations of the aerodynamic behavior of fibers, lung deposition studies which involve fibers and investigations which are concerned with the biological effects of fibers create the need for fibrous aerosols monodisperse with respect to both fiber length and diameter. The method of preparation presented in this paper is primarily based on embedding the bulk quantity of fibers in a plastic histological preparation medium and subsequently cutting the fibers to the desired lengths. The slices which are obtained by the microtoming process are purified of the plastic medium by burning and ashing and the fibrous dust obtained in this manner is then cleared of any debris by liquid elutriation. The results show that gram quantities of nearly monodisperse glass fiber dust with lengths of up to 50 micrometers can be obtained.