The erosion of dust by an airflow

Abstract

A mechanism is proposed whereby dust is removed from a flat deposit by an airflow; it involves the interaction of the laminar sub-layer of the boundary layer with individual particles. Results of experiments on an isolated deposit are presented to show how the mass of dust removed with the airflow velocity and with time. Results obtained with a continuous deposit show that erosion varies not only with time but also with distance along the deposit; this suggests that saltation of larger grains may be taking place.