Separation of Various Small Particles in a Laterally-Oscillated Rectangular Container

Abstract

Our previous studies discovered that small particles scattered at the bottom of a water-filled rectangular container align at specific positions when the container is laterally oscillated at specific frequencies. Also, a batch manipulation method of submillimeter-scale small particles was proposed by using this unique phenomenon. In the present study, we attempt to develop a method to separate small particles with various sizes by using the lateral oscillation of a rectangular container. This paper considers lateral fluid velocity distribution in the rectangular container to reveal how the distribution affects the behavior of the small particles, and examines the possibility that the small particles with various sizes can have different behaviors.