The effect of a spatially heterogeneous density distribution on the development of defects during the transport of nonwoven webs through roller systems has been investigated numerically. A modeling approach has been developed by which the spatial heterogeneity in web mechanical properties can be characterized statistically and recreated for use in finite element simulations. The approach has been applied to model the transport of a carded nonwoven web, consisting of an agglomeration of polypropylene fibers bound together by a regular array of thermal bond points. The web was scanned optically to obtain a gray scale light distribution representing the local material density. Analysis of the local density distribution permitted the generation of “virtual webs” for use in heterogeneous finite element models, in which local mechanical properties were governed by local density. Virtual web response was investigated under two loading configurations; simple tensile testing, and web transport under tension through a three-roller system. The modeling approach provided results that were in good agreement with experimentally observed web mechanics, failure mechanisms, and processing instabilities. Spatial heterogeneity in material properties was found to strongly influence both general web behavior and the tendency for the web to incur manufacturing defects during transport through roller systems.
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A Method to Determine the Effect of Microscale Heterogeneities on Macroscopic Web Mechanics
Lewis Thigpen,
Lewis Thigpen
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Howard University
, 2300 Sixth Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20059 Fellow ASME
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Patrick T. Reardon,
Patrick T. Reardon
Material Science and Technology Division,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
, P.O. Box 1663, MS P946, Los Alamos, NM 87545 Member ASME
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Jeremy W. Leggoe,
Jeremy W. Leggoe
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Texas Tech University
, P.O. Box 43121, Lubbock, TX 79409-3121
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Alan L. Graham,
Alan L. Graham
Engineering Sciences and Applications Division,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
, P.O. Box 1663, MS P946, Los Alamos, NM 87545
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Mark Fitzgerald
Mark Fitzgerald
Department of Mathematics,
University of Colorado at Denver
, P.O. Box 173364, Campus Box 170, Denver, CO 80217-3364
Search for other works by this author on:
Lewis Thigpen
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Howard University
, 2300 Sixth Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20059 Fellow ASME
Patrick T. Reardon
Material Science and Technology Division,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
, P.O. Box 1663, MS P946, Los Alamos, NM 87545 Member ASME
Jeremy W. Leggoe
Department of Chemical Engineering,
Texas Tech University
, P.O. Box 43121, Lubbock, TX 79409-3121
Alan L. Graham
Engineering Sciences and Applications Division,
Los Alamos National Laboratory
, P.O. Box 1663, MS P946, Los Alamos, NM 87545
Mark Fitzgerald
Department of Mathematics,
University of Colorado at Denver
, P.O. Box 173364, Campus Box 170, Denver, CO 80217-3364 J. Appl. Mech. May 2005, 72(3): 365-373 (9 pages)
Published Online: July 20, 2004
Article history
Received:
March 11, 2003
Revised:
July 20, 2004
Citation
Thigpen, L., Reardon, P. T., Leggoe, J. W., Graham, A. L., and Fitzgerald, M. (July 20, 2004). "A Method to Determine the Effect of Microscale Heterogeneities on Macroscopic Web Mechanics." ASME. J. Appl. Mech. May 2005; 72(3): 365–373. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.1876396
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