{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T08:51:40Z","timestamp":1790758300927,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"AIP Publishing","issue":"11","content-domain":{"domain":["pubs.aip.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In the present work, we propose and demonstrate a simple experimental visualization to simulate sneezing by maintaining dynamic similarity to actual sneezing. A pulsed jet with Reynolds number Re = 30 000 is created using compressed air and a solenoid valve. Tracer particles are introduced in the flow to capture the emulated turbulent jet formed due to a sneeze. The visualization is accomplished using a camera and laser illumination. It is observed that a typical sneeze can travel up to 25 ft in \u223c22 s in a quiescent environment. This highlights that the present widely accepted safe distance of 6 ft is highly underestimated, especially under the act of a sneeze. Our study demonstrates that a three-layer homemade mask is just adequate to impede the penetration of fine-sized particles, which may cause the spreading of the infectious pathogen responsible for COVID-19. However, a surgical mask cannot block the sneeze, and the sneeze particle can travel up to 2.5 ft. We strongly recommend using at least a three-layer homemade mask with a social distancing of 6 ft to combat the transmission of COVID-19 virus. In offices, we recommend the use of face masks and shields to prevent the spreading of droplets carrying the infectious pathogen. Interestingly, an N-95 mask blocks the sneeze in the forward direction; however, the leakage from the sides and top spreads the sneeze in the backward direction up to 2 ft. We strongly recommend using the elbow or hands to prevent droplet leakage even after wearing a mask during sneezing and coughing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1063\/5.0030101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,18]],"date-time":"2020-11-18T11:23:07Z","timestamp":1605698587000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1063\/aip-crossmark-policy-page","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":76,"title":["Experimental visualization of sneezing and efficacy of face masks and\n          shields"],"prefix":"10.1063","volume":"32","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5680-8613","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Venugopal","family":"Arumuru","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar , Bhubaneswar 752050,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jangyadatta","family":"Pasa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar , Bhubaneswar 752050,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sidhartha Sankar","family":"Samantaray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Fluids Group, School of Mechanical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar , Bhubaneswar 752050,","place":["India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"317","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,18]]},"reference":[{"issue":"6","key":"2025052317511257400_c1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.1080\/02786826.2020.1749229","article-title":"The coronavirus pandemic and aerosols:\n            Does COVID-19 transmit via expiratory particles?","volume":"54","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aerosol Sci.\n            Technol."},{"issue":"5","key":"2025052317511257400_c2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"061704","DOI":"10.1063\/5.0012009","article-title":"Likelihood of survival of\n            coronavirus in a respiratory droplet deposited on a solid surface","volume":"32","year":"2020","journal-title":"Phys. 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