A Review on the Study of the Generation of (Nano)particles Aerosols during the Mechanical Solicitation of Materials

Abstract

This paper focuses on presenting the forefront of the interdisciplinary studies conceived towards the generation of the wear particles aerosol when materials are subjected to mechanical stresses. Various wear mechanisms and instrumentation involved during stress application and aerosolization of wear particles, as well as particles characterization, measurement, and modeling techniques are presented through the investigation of a series of contextual works which are emphasized on the identification of these aspects. The review is motivated from the fact that understanding mechanisms involved in wear-induced particle generation, both at nano- and at microscale, is important for many applications that involve surfaces sliding over each other due to various potential health aspects. An attempt has been made to explain how the information based on this broad spectrum of subjects discovered in this contribution can be used and improved in order to produce a more resilient, rational, and versatile knowledge base which has been found lacking in the present literature during its survey. The area of study is highly multidisciplinary since it involves aerosol, particle, and material sciences.