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Resonant waves in a liquid can cause particles of different sizes to move toward the nodes or anti-nodes of a standing wave. A secondary effect is the particles

Resonant waves in a liquid can cause particles of different sizes to move toward the nodes or anti-nodes of a standing wave. A secondary effect is the particles can conglomerate and fall out depending on density.

DoingIsLearning 7y ago
I am more familiar with resonance in an electrical domain more so than a mechanical one. How do they determine at what frequency to actuate the piezos in order to match the resonant frequency of these plastic particles? Is it just 'guestimated' or is there a more systematic way?
- newfocogi 7y ago
  My guess would be that they choose the frequency based on the speed of sound in the liquid such that the nodes in the standing wave occur at a designed location in the chamber where the separation occurs.
peter_d_sherman 7y ago
Note To Future Self: There's an interesting Physics question posed here, which looks something like this: If resonant waves, in this case of sound, can cause particles of different sizes to move towards the nodes or anti-nodes of standing waves, then if we consider a completely different area of physics, that is, the case of electroplating metals with electricity, that is, we have an electrode of metal A (for example, Copper), and an electrode of metal B (for example, Gold), in some electrolyte, for example, salt water, then does the electroplating procedure (via electricity) mimic what's happening to the microplastics in water, via sound waves, but just at a smaller wave scale? In other words, maybe electricity does the same thing as what happens to the sound/microplastics -- but the electricity is a wave which is much faster in frequency, and much smaller? Now, there's another aspect of all of this too. See, if we can get conglomeration or dissipation of microplastics via the use of sound, then perhaps this mimics the creation or destruction of matter (well, let's say 'particles' at this point, "smaller pieces of matter"), that is, the "clumps" of less rarified/more dense substances inside of more rarified/less dense substances... Anyway, the principle at work here might be the starting point for Star Trek's food replicator... maybe this is Star Trek's Food Replicator version 0.000000001 (just applied to plastic particles in water, not food/matter particles from air, obviously... <g>) Note: I don't claim any correctness in the ideas presented above; merely that more experimentation/research might need to be done... see the "Note To Future" self part...<g>

DoingIsLearning 7y ago

I am more familiar with resonance in an electrical domain more so than a mechanical one. How do they determine at what frequency to actuate the piezos in order to match the resonant frequency of these plastic particles? Is it just 'guestimated' or is there a more systematic way?

newfocogi 7y ago
My guess would be that they choose the frequency based on the speed of sound in the liquid such that the nodes in the standing wave occur at a designed location in the chamber where the separation occurs.

peter_d_sherman 7y ago

Note To Future Self: There's an interesting Physics question posed here, which looks something like this: If resonant waves, in this case of sound, can cause particles of different sizes to move towards the nodes or anti-nodes of standing waves, then if we consider a completely different area of physics, that is, the case of electroplating metals with electricity, that is, we have an electrode of metal A (for example, Copper), and an electrode of metal B (for example, Gold), in some electrolyte, for example, salt water, then does the electroplating procedure (via electricity) mimic what's happening to the microplastics in water, via sound waves, but just at a smaller wave scale? In other words, maybe electricity does the same thing as what happens to the sound/microplastics -- but the electricity is a wave which is much faster in frequency, and much smaller? Now, there's another aspect of all of this too. See, if we can get conglomeration or dissipation of microplastics via the use of sound, then perhaps this mimics the creation or destruction of matter (well, let's say 'particles' at this point, "smaller pieces of matter"), that is, the "clumps" of less rarified/more dense substances inside of more rarified/less dense substances... Anyway, the principle at work here might be the starting point for Star Trek's food replicator... maybe this is Star Trek's Food Replicator version 0.000000001 (just applied to plastic particles in water, not food/matter particles from air, obviously... <g>) Note: I don't claim any correctness in the ideas presented above; merely that more experimentation/research might need to be done... see the "Note To Future" self part...<g>