CPM Seminar

Physics of paper:
Fundamental Questions on Ubiquitous Material

Tetsu Uesaka

Department of Natural Sciences &
Fibre Science and Communication Network
Mid Sweden University

Paper is one of the most ubiquitous materials that mankind made in the whole history. Its “random” fibre network structures provide rich subjects on the physics of disordered materials, as well as numerous challenges in material design and manufacturing for papermakers. In this talk we choose three practical problems that have been raised in the industry, all of which are the manifestations of the stochastic nature of paper structure. They are (1) “fluting”, surface instability or the most persistent print defect that arises in printing operation, (2) micro texture formation of paper in papermaking processes and its particle-level simulation, and (3) web breaks and strength scaling. As final remark, we touch upon the future of paper as material.