Comparison of Thermal Rebound Theory With Penetration Measurements of Nanometer Particles Through Wire Screens

Penetration of nanometer particles through wire screens can deviate from the classical penetration model of Cheng and Yeh (1980) if the effect of thermal rebounds is significant. A modified penetration model including the effect of thermal rebounds (Wang 1993) is used to compare with the experimental results of Ichitsubo et al. (1996). Good agreement is obtained using model parameters derived from literature. Both experiment and theory suggest significant thermal rebounds for particles smaller than 2 nm. In addition, the agreement between model predictions and experimental data implies that the concepts of mechanical properties and adhesion used in the thermal rebound theory still hold for particles as small as 1 nm.