Influence of quadrat characteristics on the evolution of the dispersion effect for fiber–water dispersions

Dispersing fibers in a water dispersion is an important issue for many fiber-based materials that significantly affects the mechanical and many other properties of materials. However, the measurement and assessment of the dispersion effect remains a significant challenge. In this study, we presented an image analysis method based on quadrat analysis from ecology and geography, transforming the issue of the dispersion effect into the statistics of point distribution. Furthermore, we changed the type of sampling and adjusted the shape, size and numbers of each quadrat to investigate its influences on the evaluation results. Our results showed that the area of one quadrat had a more obvious effect on the evaluation results compared to the number of quadrats. In addition, having a quadrat of an optimum shape enlarged the difference in various dispersion effects; the results of a square quadrat exhibited stably in both complete coverage and random sampling. Quadrat analysis realizes good measurement of dispersion states as a result of image processing and offers an assessment of the dispersion effect in a fiber–water dispersion.