First development to model aerosol emission from solid surfaces subjected to mechanical stresses: I. Development and results

•We model the aerosol emission during abrasion of solid surfaces.•A total of 18 input parameters.•The model is applicable to homogenous and isotropic products only.•Results are shown for three products- Brick, Wood and Stainless Steel.•Aerosol emission is dominated by material type.

This article focuses on the development of an analytical model that simulates the particle aerosols emission from the traditional products under the effect of their mechanical abrasion at low abrasion speeds. An interdisciplinary approach is adopted. The information on the model development and its results are detailed here with all the assumptions which were taken during development. The model results suggest that the product formulation is an important aspect during particle aerosols emission as the products with different material properties or parameters are observed to emit different numbers of particle aerosols when subjected to exactly same abrasion conditions. The present model is developed while considering the homogeneity and isotropicity of a product. Therefore, the emission of particle aerosols from inhomogeneous and anisotropic nanostructured products like thin layered coatings and fiber or nanoparticles reinforced nanocomposites cannot be quantified at this moment using this model. Moreover, the verification of the model and its simulation are due for a second article to follow in this series where the predicted cum fitted results of the model are compared with the previously generated experimental data.