Prediction of Handsheet Tensile Strength by Computational Simulation of Structure

To better understand the influence of fiber morphology on paper properties, we developed a novel 3-D computational simulator of paper structure, which was validated through experimental work. This simulator creates virtual pieces of handsheets using the size distributions of the fibers as the main inputs. Once the structure is generated, physical properties can be assessed. The main principles of the simulation and the results for one global texture property, the apparent density, were presented in a previous paper. In this paper, we focus on the prediction of the tensile breaking strength, the most commonly used physical property for paper characterization. The model is based on the model developed by Shallhorn and Karnis, which was adapted to take into account the fiber morphological distributions. It was successfully applied in the absence of fiber breaks during the test and validated with the 10 pulps used in the first part of the study.