Concentration of Smoke
In measuring the concentration of smokes, the following terms are useful:
Density. The density of a smoke is defined as the reciprocal of the thickness of the smoke layer in feet necessary to obscure a given filament. Thus six inches of a smoke of density 2.0 is required to obscure an electric light filament, whereas one requiring four feet would have a density of 4. Another way to show the significance of this definition is to point out that if a definite weight of a stable smoke is diluted with air after it is formed, the product of the volume by the density always remains constant. Any marked variation in this rule may be taken as evidence that the particles of smoke are undergoing a change, in most cases due to evaporation.
Total Obscuring Power. The volume of smoke produced per unit weight of material used is the second factor in determining the value of a smoke. The product of this volume per unit weight by the density of the smoke is the real measure of effectiveness, and is called the total obscuring power (T. O. P.) of the smoke. If the volume is expressed in cubic feet per pound and the density in reciprocal feet, the unit of T. O. P. is square feet per pound. That is, it expresses the square feet of a smoke wall, thick enough to completely obscure a light filament behind it, which could be produced from a pound of the reacting substances. The total obscuring power of some typical smokes are as follows:
| Phosphorus | 4600 |
| NH₄Cl(NH₃ + HCl) | 2500 |
| SnCl₄ + NH₃ + H₂O | 1590 |
| Berger Mixture | 1250 |
| SnCl₄ + NH₃ | 900 |
| SO₂ + NH₃ | 375 |
In all measurements of density, and therefore of T. O. P., the rate of burning must be considered. If a slow burning material be compared with a rapid one, the former will not reach its true maximum density, as a great deal of the smoke may settle out during the time of burning. Comparisons of T. O. P. are significant only when made on smoke mixtures of the same type and in about the same quantities.
Measurement
Two methods of measuring the effectiveness of a smoke cloud have been devised, one, the smoke box, which measures the obscuring power directly by observing at what distance a lamp filament is obscured by intervening smoke, the other, the Tyndall meter, which measures the intensity of the scattering of the light.
The earliest measurements of smoke intensity are perhaps those of Ringelmann (Revue Technique, 19, 286), who devised the well known chart of that name, intended mainly for measuring intensities of black smoke issuing from a chimney at a distance. The first measurements for military purposes are probably due to Bertrand, who made numerous comparative studies with his “salle opacimetrique.” This was a room 23 × 14 × 3.6 meters, with 7 windows. Two doors, one provided with 3 oculars 2 cm. in diameter, gave access to the room. On the other door, opposite the first, were hung several black signs. Six pairs of columns were spaced along the room at measured distances. When a smoke is produced in the room, the black paper signs first become invisible, then the door itself, and finally the columns, pair by pair. They reappear in the reverse order, and as a measure of relative opacity Bertrand took the time elapsing between the detonation and the reappearance of the farther door.
