FAU | Stay 6 Feet Apart. Simulated Cough Reveals That May Not ... http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/mechanical-cough-corona...

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/ STAY 6 FEET APART. SIMULATED COUGH REVEALS THAT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH

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Manhar Dhanak, Ph.D., a professor, chair of FAU’s Department of
Ocean and Mechanical Engineering, and director of FAU’s SeaTech, Student Life (/newsdesk
in the laboratory where they conducted the simulation. (Photo by /student-life.php)
Alex Dolce)
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BY GISELE GALOUSTIAN
(MAILTO:GGALOUST@FAU.E
DU) | 4/21/2020

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These days, even the sound of a cough – one of the most common
University Initiatives
symptoms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) – can cause panic
(/newsdesk/university-
and fear. People can get infected when a person coughs or sneezes
initiatives.php)
as tiny droplets travel and permeate the air. These particles can
land on surfaces, in a person’s mouth, nose or eyes or can be
breathed in by someone nearby. Social distancing
recommendations inform people to stay 6 feet apart from one
another. A preliminary, flow visualization experiment suggests that
this may not be sufficient.  

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University

(https://www.fau.edu/)’s College of Engineering and Computer
Science (http://www.eng.fau.edu/) conducted an experiment using
flow visualization to demonstrate how far a cough travels and how
long it lingers in the air. Flow visualization is a method that enables
flow patterns, such as a stream of particles from a cough, to
become visible in fluids like air and water since they are
transparent. Various techniques using flow visualization make
these patterns visible to the naked eye.

In a laboratory setting, the researchers were able to visually

demonstrate a mechanically emulated cough/sneeze jet from an
orifice representing the mouth and the associated particle-laden
airflow using a mannequin and other props.

Stay 6 Feet Apart. Mechanically Simu…

“Our goal was to demonstrate the fate of smaller size particles that
are present in the exhaled jet of a cough. We used a mixture of
distilled water and glycerin to represent the synthetic fog that
made up the content of the cough-jet that was expelled from the
mannequin’s nose and mouth during our experiment,” said Manhar
Dhanak (http://www.eng.fau.edu/directory/faculty/dhanak
/index.php), Ph.D., a professor, chair of FAU’s Department of
Ocean and Mechanical Engineering (http://www.ome.fau.edu/),
and director of FAU’s SeaTech (http://www.ome.fau.edu/labs-
centers/seatech.php), who conducted the study with Siddhartha
Verma (http://www.eng.fau.edu/directory/faculty/dhanak/), Ph.D.,

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an assistant professor in FAU’s Department of Ocean and

Mechanical Engineering. “The fog is initially warmer than the
ambient air, just as in the case of an exhaled cough-jet, however, it
cools as it travels through the air.”

Particles and droplets that result from a human cough or sneeze

typically range in size from 5 to 500 microns. The larger particles
fall to the ground within a short distance due to gravity, but smaller
particles can be carried longer distances by prevailing breezes of air.
The particulates making up the fog from the fog machine Dhanak
and Verma used in the emulation of the cough-jet ranged in size
from 10 to 20 microns.

To visualize the particles from the exhaled air in the mannequin

and film the cough jet, the researchers used LED and laser lights.
The visualization highlights the structure of the jets and provides
the distances over which the jets extend from the source.

“Preliminary results from our experiment reveal that significant

concentrations of small particles from a turbulent jet such as from
a heavy cough/sneeze can linger in still air for more than one
minute. It only took the particles a couple of seconds to travel 3
feet; in about 12 seconds it reached 6 feet and in about 41 seconds
it reached around 9 feet,” said Verma.

For a heavy cough, the researchers found that particles can even
travel up to 12 feet. A lighter cough does not travel as far.

“In the case of light coughing, it can lead to formation of vortex

rings in which the particles and droplets ejected in the cough-jet
remain confined to evolving toroidal flow structures,” said Dhanak.
“The rings appear to travel 1 to 9 feet or more before getting
diffused and breaking up. We found that wearing a face mask
doesn’t stop the particles 100 percent, but it does slow down the
cough jets.”

Dhanak and Verma say that additional research is required to refine

the emulation of the coughing action as well as the visualization of
the airflow in order to better quantify their results.

“Initial results from the experiment that professors Dhanak and

Verma conducted have important implications for how we protect
the public from this highly infectious disease,” said Stella Batalama
(http://www.eng.fau.edu/directory/faculty/batalama/index.php),
Ph.D., dean of FAU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science.
“There is currently a gap in knowledge over how COVID-19 spreads
as well as a scientific debate about how the disease moves in the air.
This experiment will help to shed more light on the spread of the
disease through aerosols. Moreover, it underscores why it is so
essential to cover your cough and sneezes and to wear a face mask

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when you are out in public settings.”

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