A numerical investigation of the void structure of fibrous materials

The void structure of particulate solids has been studied with the aid of a numerical packing algorithm based on the minimisation of an energy potential. This algorithm has been used to form densely packed assemblies of spherical and fibrous particles. The void space within these materials has been characterised using an algorithm that finds chains of voids that pass through the assemblies. The tortuosity (as defined by Carman [P.C. Carman, Fluid flow through granular beds, Trans. Instn. Chem. Engrs., v15 pp 150-166, 1937.]) and mean diameter of these chains have been determined and examined as important parameters that are relevant to the permeability of these materials. Tortuosity was approximately constant in the spherical particle assemblies, while the void size varied with the particle size. In general, the spherical particle assemblies showed much smaller void sizes (relative to the particle diameter) and lower tortuosity than the fibrous materials. The tortuosity of the fibrous materials was found to be a function of both the aspect ratio of the fibres, and the packing efficiency of the assembly. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.