Optical studies on sedimentation of suspensions

Abstract

Sedimentation of the suspension process is important, especially in pollution, biologic liquids or polymers studies. Unlike the usual methods, as those using pipettes, areometer or balances, the optical ones are nondestructive and more accurate. During sedimentation produced by the braked fall of the solid particles in suspension, fluctuations produced by an opposite vertical diffusion occur; this process is lost using the chemical methods, which weight the mass fallen on a submersed plate. We used a scattering method, based on the attenuation of a laser beam which, in the absence of absorption, describes the variation of solid particles' concentration in the suspension.