<p>This thesis investigates paper structure and how its spatial heterogeneity affects the electrostatic and contact forces responsible for the toner transfer in Xerographic printing. Modeling predictions and experiments are reported which link length scales of variation in toner density distribution in Xerographic printing with certain structural length scales in paper.</p> <p>A modified 3D fibre network model is introduced, which is used to simulate handsheet paper microstructure. Specific measures addressed by the model include formation, surface roughness and porosity. Simulated (i.e. virtual) handsheet paper structure is compared with that from specially prepared laboratory handsheet, obtaining a good correspondence between theory and experiments.</p> <p> An efficient Multigrid Poisson solver is used to simulate the electrostatic fields involved in the Xerographic toner transfer process. The distribution of dielectric property is input into the solver either analytically or from simulated 3D paper webs prepared by the fibre network model of paper. A spectral analysis is used to elucidate the relative importance of spatial variations of paper surface, filler and porosity in establishing spatial variations of the electrostatic field. It is found that only long wavelength variations in either surface height, bulk filler or porosity affect variations in electrostatic toner transfer forces to any relevant degree. Furthermore, it is shown that the long wavelength perturbations of the electrostatic field can be modeled using a new 1D effective capacitor model. Direct use of simulated handsheet paper webs - which are described by several heterogeneous measures - shows that to lowest order it is the paper surface structure not formation is responsible in shaping the electrostatic toner field variations.</p> <p> A new platform for modeling toner transfer in Xerographic printing is also introduced. It combines the 3D stochastic fibre network model of paper, the 3D electrostatic field solver, paper compression in the printing nip, and contact adhesion forces acting on toner particles during Xerographic printing. The modeling platform is used to demonstrate that paper-press interactions are critical in shaping the surface of paper, which, in turn, has the greatest influence in controlling both the electrostatic and contact adhesion forces responsible for shaping the distribution of toner transferred to paper during Xerography.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A numerical tool has been developed for particle-level simulations of fibre suspension flows, particularly forming of the fibre network structure of paper sheets in the paper machine. The model considers inert fibres of various equilibrium shapes, and finite stiffness, interacting with each other through normal, frictional, and lubrication forces, and with the surrounding fluid medium through hydrodynamic forces. Fibre–fluid interactions in the non-creeping flow regime are taken into account, and the two-way coupling between the solids and the fluid phases is included by enforcing momentum conservation between phases. The incompressible three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations are employed tomodel themotion of the fluid medium. The validity of the model has been tested by comparing simulation results with experimental data from the literature. It was demonstrated that the model predicts well the motion of isolated fibres in shear flow over a wide range of fibre flexibilities. It was also shown that the model predicts details of the orientation distribution of   multiple, straight, rigid fibres in a sheared suspension. Furthermore, model predictions of the shear viscosity and first normal stress difference were in fair agreement with experimental data found in the literature. Since the model is based solely on first principles physics, quantitative predictions could be made without any parameter fitting.   Based on these validations, a series of simulations have been performed to investigate the basic mechanisms responsible for the development of the stress tensor components for monodispersed, non-Brownian fibres suspended in a Newtonian fluid in shear flow. The effects of fibre aspect ratio, concentration, and inter-particle friction, as well as the tendency of fibre agglomeration, were examined in the nonconcentrated regimes. For the case of well dispersed suspensions, semi-empirical relationships were found between the aforementioned fibre suspension properties, and the steady state apparent shear viscosity, and the first/second normal stress differences.   Finally, simulations have been conducted for the development of paper structures in the forming section of the paper machine. The conditions used for the simulations were retrieved from pilot-scale forming trial data in the literature, and from real pulp fibre analyses. Dewatering was simulated by moving two forming fabrics toward each other through a fibre suspension. Effects of the jet-to-wire speed difference on the fibre orientation anisotropy, the mass density distribution, and three-dimensionality of the fibre network, were investigated. Simulation results showed that the model captures well the essential features of the forming effects on these paper structure parameters, and also posed newquestions on the conventional wisdom of the forming mechanics.

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One of the primary objectives of this thesis was to design fiber/filler/polymer structures for newsprint and in the process develop a greater understanding of fiber/filler/ polymer structures. Five different designed structures were created for study. The designed structures were composed of virgin, hydrosulfite bleached, TMP southern pine, Georgian kaolin clay and various polymers. Five filler levels from 0% to 20% were employed with each of these different structures. Numerous physical tests were used to gather data which would help to develop an understanding for the macroscopic properties of the structures. Paper structures were created and data from bulk physical tests and particle based SEM image analyses were compared. Comparisons were made using a statistical method called Principal Component Analysis (PCA) where the data is grouped and reduced to find data correlations not readily apparent in the raw data.