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Disaster Advice Glossary
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Disaster recovery and restoration can be veiled in mystery to the many who have not undertaken specific training. This glossary explains technical terms to assist both report writing and the understanding of those technical terms so often misunderstood.
Definition
| Brownian Movement: |
The random movement of particles suspended in motion with air or water. The Brownian movement phenomenon was observed in 1827 by Robert Brown, with the suspension of particles in liquid as observed under a microscope. While Brown theorized his observations had to do with living organisms, it wasn't until the turn of the 20th century kinetic theory was developed helping us to understand, thermal agitation of smaller suspended particles in motion as their mass, compared to true particles of larger surrounding bodies, are effected by kinetic energy. In 1905, Einstein considered the problem which led to an equation connecting the observed motions with the Boltzmann constant. The development being based on the law of equal partition of energy. Education Note: A smoke soot particle for example, is battered about in air on all sides by the high speed movement of air molecules. The soot particle is absorbing kinetic energy from every direction. In this example, the soot particle floating close to cooler surfaces such as a wall, glass window, stud nails to metal, tend to magnetically migrate towards and eventually cling to cooler surfaces. If the whole wall was cooler than the heated indoor air, such as from a fire, the whole wall would be uniformly covered by smoke particles. Quite often on a wall, stud nails or screws are even cooler than the wall surface and smoke particles deposit in a noticeable pattern. In the 1970's, U.S. Steel Corporation conducted a series of experiments to investigate how 'ghost marks' can occur in a building due to dust build up. U. S. Steel determined that a distinguishable particle deposition pattern began to occur on a surface when there was >3.3 degrees F. of difference in surface temperature relative to other parts of the surface. If this temperature varied > 8 degreed F., then surface discoloration by dust through a given time occurred. See Kinetic Energy. |
| Kinetic Energy: |
The process which matter in motion produces energy through heat and pressure. Education Note: The most obvious way in which matter can manifest energy is to be in motion. The more the movement, the more energy matter is capable of producing. Kinetic energy is a state of free or bound energy, depending on the its surroundings as well as the state the matter is in to produce movement. During air movement, the more massive the air movement, the faster air moves and the more work or damage it can produce. On the other hand, mechanical or electrical energy (other than thermal or chemical energy) of a system, is always measured as the maximum amount of work that the system can do in coming to static equilibrium. Kinetic energy in a water damaged building, are changes in heat and pressure as exhibited by changes in vapour pressure, evaporation and diffusion of fluids. While part of the reduction of fluids are a result of the standing water extraction process, the remaining absorbed fluids in porous and semi-porous building material, is a direct result of kinetic energy, brought about by forced air movement resulting in changes of vapour pressure, surface tension, heat, evaporation and dehumidification. See Brownian Movement. |
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