Directed Particle-Laden Micro-Jet for Dental Caries Evacuation (Keynote Paper)

Active and passive approaches to control the velocity and concentration of a high speed round particle-laden jet are investigated experimentally using a stereo PIV system. Active control of the flow field and the particles’ velocity and concentration fields, via the addition of swirl to the carrier jet, has shown to have a significant effect in altering both phases. Control is also affected by placing passive pins at the jet exit plane, which results in alteration of the velocity in planes across and normal to the pins. Furthermore, the mixing is increased and the spreading rate is modified. Depending on the number of pins used and their azimuthal location, their interaction with the carrier jet flow lead to the modification of the cross-flow shape of the jet and the direction of the flow.