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<p>A method has been developed for flexible modelling of multi-component twin-wire blade formers. Features such as suction devices, loadable blades, curved blades, and partial contact between the blades and the forming fabrics are easily incorporated. New results include a series of calculations demonstrating the non-trivial interaction between the pressure pulses when the blades are positioned successively closer together, the effects of suction on the pressure pulse generated by a blade applied to the opposing wire, and how blades of modest curvature do not necessarily stay in contact with the fabric along their full width and the implications of this on the pressure gradients in the machine direction. </p><p>The behaviour of the fibre mats as they experience the first of the blade pulses (after having been formed over a roll) is then considered in detail. Typically, the thickness of the mats decreases during the pulse, which reduces the rate of deposition of new fibres onto the webs. The amount of fibres in the sheets therefore changes marginally. Nevertheless, the resistance to drainage presented by the fibre network is seen to increase significantly due to the low permeability in highly compressed layers of the mat. As a result of the pressure gradients in the machine direction, the shear stresses in the plane of the fibre sheets can attain several hundred Pascal next to the forming fabrics.</p><p>Further, a model for sheared consolidation of flocculated suspensions is presented that extends the concept of a concentration dependent yield stress, previously employed in studies of uniaxial consolidation, to comprise flocculated phase shear strength. Rate-dependent viscous stresses are also incorporated. The theory is applied to the problem of combined compression and shearing of a strongly flocculated suspension contained between two plates, one being fixed and acting as a perfectly permeable filter, the other movable and acting as a piston by which the load is applied. Qualitatively, the evolution of the volume fraction of solids exhibits the same behaviour as during uniaxial consolidation without shear. Applying shear is however predicted to increase the rate of the drainage process, due to a reduced load bearing capacity of the flocculated phase, and correspondingly higher pore pressures. </p>

<p>During papermaking, the internal structure of the fibrenetwork constituting the paper is to a dominating extentdetermined in the forming zone of the paper machine. Thisthesis is aimed at studying the pressure distribution in bladeforming sections, which is commonly considered to be a keyquantity of the process.</p><p>Previous work has provided insight into the physics ofdifferent devices employed in blade forming. However, there hasbeen a lack of models enabling studies of the effects of theinteraction between different components on the pressuredistribution. In the thesis, a model is presented for a genericblade forming section consisting of three blades. The positionsof two of the blades are fix, and in between them is located asuction box. The third blade is applied by a prescribed forceto the opposing wire, in a position facing the suction box. Themodel admits the study of the interaction between the pulsesfrom the different blades in the blade/counterbladeconfiguration, and between the pulses and one-sidedsuction.</p><p>The wires are modelled as tensioned and perfectly flexibleEuler-Bernoulli beams of negligible mass. The suspension istreated like an inviscid fluid. Consideration is taken to theinfluence of fibre deposition on the permeability of thefabrics. By assuming the ratio between the length scales in thethickness direction and the machine direction to be small, aquasi one-dimensional model is obtained.</p><p>For maximum flexibility, the model domain is divided intomodules. Each module is solved individually using a finitedifference based discretisation. The solutions for thedifferent modules are matched with each other iteratively.</p><p>A comparison with published results for a single bladeindicates that the model can be used to obtain qualitativelycorrect predictions of the pressure distribution. New resultsinclude a series of calculations showing the non-trivialinteraction between the pressure pulses when the blades arepositioned successively closer together, the effects of suctionon the pressure pulse generated by a blade applied to theopposing wire, and how blades of modest curvature do notnecessarily stay in contact with the fabric along their fullwidth and the implication of this on the pressure gradient.</p><p><b>Descriptors:</b>fluid mechanics, blade forming, pressuredistribution, suction, interaction, permeable fabric,modules</p>

A method has been developed for flexible modelling of multi-component twin-wire blade formers. Features such as suction devices, loadable blades, curved blades, and partial contact between the blades and the forming fabrics are easily incorporated. New results include a series of calculations demonstrating the non-trivial interaction between the pressure pulses when the blades are positioned successively closer together, the effects of suction on the pressure pulse generated by a blade applied to the opposing wire, and how blades of modest curvature do not necessarily stay in contact with the fabric along their full width and the implications of this on the pressure gradients in the machine direction. The behaviour of the fibre mats as they experience the first of the blade pulses (after having been formed over a roll) is then considered in detail. Typically, the thickness of the mats decreases during the pulse, which reduces the rate of deposition of new fibres onto the webs. The amount of fibres in the sheets therefore changes marginally. Nevertheless, the resistance to drainage presented by the fibre network is seen to increase significantly due to the low permeability in highly compressed layers of the mat. As a result of the pressure gradients in the machine direction, the shear stresses in the plane of the fibre sheets can attain several hundred Pascal next to the forming fabrics. Further, a model for sheared consolidation of flocculated suspensions is presented that extends the concept of a concentration dependent yield stress, previously employed in studies of uniaxial consolidation, to comprise flocculated phase shear strength. Rate-dependent viscous stresses are also incorporated. The theory is applied to the problem of combined compression and shearing of a strongly flocculated suspension contained between two plates, one being fixed and acting as a perfectly permeable filter, the other movable and acting as a piston by which the load is applied. Qualitatively, the evolution of the volume fraction of solids exhibits the same behaviour as during uniaxial consolidation without shear. Applying shear is however predicted to increase the rate of the drainage process, due to a reduced load bearing capacity of the flocculated phase, and correspondingly higher pore pressures. / QC 20101022

During papermaking, the internal structure of the fibrenetwork constituting the paper is to a dominating extentdetermined in the forming zone of the paper machine. Thisthesis is aimed at studying the pressure distribution in bladeforming sections, which is commonly considered to be a keyquantity of the process. Previous work has provided insight into the physics ofdifferent devices employed in blade forming. However, there hasbeen a lack of models enabling studies of the effects of theinteraction between different components on the pressuredistribution. In the thesis, a model is presented for a genericblade forming section consisting of three blades. The positionsof two of the blades are fix, and in between them is located asuction box. The third blade is applied by a prescribed forceto the opposing wire, in a position facing the suction box. Themodel admits the study of the interaction between the pulsesfrom the different blades in the blade/counterbladeconfiguration, and between the pulses and one-sidedsuction. The wires are modelled as tensioned and perfectly flexibleEuler-Bernoulli beams of negligible mass. The suspension istreated like an inviscid fluid. Consideration is taken to theinfluence of fibre deposition on the permeability of thefabrics. By assuming the ratio between the length scales in thethickness direction and the machine direction to be small, aquasi one-dimensional model is obtained. For maximum flexibility, the model domain is divided intomodules. Each module is solved individually using a finitedifference based discretisation. The solutions for thedifferent modules are matched with each other iteratively. A comparison with published results for a single bladeindicates that the model can be used to obtain qualitativelycorrect predictions of the pressure distribution. New resultsinclude a series of calculations showing the non-trivialinteraction between the pressure pulses when the blades arepositioned successively closer together, the effects of suctionon the pressure pulse generated by a blade applied to theopposing wire, and how blades of modest curvature do notnecessarily stay in contact with the fabric along their fullwidth and the implication of this on the pressure gradient. <b>Descriptors:</b>fluid mechanics, blade forming, pressuredistribution, suction, interaction, permeable fabric,modules / NR 20140805