Abstract
IN examining the mechanical properties of dry, pulped wood fibres which comprise most papers, the dimensions of the fibres must be known. For quantitative purposes, their cross-sectional shape (Fig. 1) is best represented by the rectangle. The ‘width’ of the fibre is readily measured by the micrometer eyepiece of a microscope as is the length, the largest dimension by orders-of-magnitude. However, the thickness of the fibre is awkward to measure for a number of reasons: (1) The thickness is in the μ range. (2) The thickness is generally non-uniform at any one point along the length of the fibre because of the incompleteness of collapse; vestiges of the lumen are generally present along the edges. (Wood fibres are initially more or less circular, but the large pressures applied in the paper-making process cause their collapse.) (3) Appreciable variations exist in the cross-sectional shape and thickness along the length of the fibre. (4) Dimensional variations among fibres of any one pulp are extremely large. (5) The top and bottom of fibres are difficult to define.
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Kallmes, O. J., and Corte, H., Mon. J. Tech. Assoc. Pulp. and Paper Indust., 43, 737 (1961).
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KALLMES, O., BERNIER, G. Estimating the Thickness of Pulped Wood Fibres. Nature 197, 1330 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/1971330a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1971330a0
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