Paper Title
EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF A FIBER MEDIA ON PARTICULATE FILTRATION EFFICIENCY (PFE) AND WOB IN BREATHING

Abstract
Abstract - The outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has led to the recommended routine use of face masks to reduce the risk of exposure. In this study, the increase in work of breathing (WOB) imposed by face masks has been theoretically investigated for both normal subjects and patients with obstructive and restrictive lung diseases at different activity levels. The results show a significant increase in WOB due to face masks, which is more intense at higher activity levels. The added WOB is significant during physical activity and may be intolerable for patients with pre-existing lung disease and may contribute to inspiratory muscle fatigue and dyspnea. Furthermore, in this study, the effects of physical properties of a fiber medium, including thickness, porosity, and fiber diameter, on particulate filtration efficiency (PFE) and added WOB are analyzed. The relationships between the physical properties of the fiber media and the added WOB and PFE are shown in some contour plots as a quick and simple tool to select the desired physical properties for a monolayer filter to ensure that the added WOB is comfortable in While PFE is high enough. Keywords - Filter Face Mask, Most Penetrating Particle Size, Respiratory Protection, Particle Filtration Efficiency, Fiber Diameter