Fiber Suspensions Research Articles

Homogenized soybean hull suspension as an emulsifier for oil/water emulsions: Synergistic effect of the insoluble fiber and soluble polysaccharide

In this study, the functional properties of the soybean hull soluble fractions and insoluble fiber in stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions were investigated by changing the soluble fraction (SF) content in the soybean hull suspensions. High-pressure homogenization (HPH) caused the release of soluble materials (Polysaccharides and proteins) and the deagglomeration of insoluble fibers (IF) from soybean hulls. The apparent viscosity of the soybean hull fiber suspension increased as the SF content of the suspension increased; The absolute value of ζ-potential increased from 18 to 28 mV. In addition, the IF individually stabilized emulsion had the largest emulsion particle size (32.10 μm), but decreased as the SF content in the suspension increased to 10.53 μm. The microstructure of the emulsions showed that surface-active SF adsorbed at the oil-water interface formed an interfacial film, and microfibrils in IF formed a three-dimensional network in the aqueous phase, which synergistically stabilized the oil-in-water emulsion. The findings of this study are important for understanding emulsion systems stabilized by agricultural by-products.

Controlling extrudate volume fraction through poroelastic extrusion of entangled looped fibers

When a suspension of spherical or near-spherical particles passes through a constriction the particle volume fraction either remains the same or decreases. In contrast to these particulate suspensions, here we observe that an entangled fiber suspension increases its volume fraction up to 14-fold after passing through a constriction. We attribute this response to the entanglements among the fibers that allows the network to move faster than the liquid. By changing the fiber geometry, we find that the entanglements originate from interlocking shapes or high fiber flexibility. A quantitative poroelastic model is used to explain the increase in velocity and extrudate volume fraction. These results provide a new strategy to use fiber volume fraction, flexibility, and shape to tune soft material properties, e.g., suspension concentration and porosity, during delivery, as occurs in healthcare, three-dimensional printing, and material repair.

Influence of flow–fiber coupling during mold-filling on the stress field in short-fiber reinforced composites

The anisotropic elastic properties of injection molded composites are fundamentally coupled to the flow of the fiber suspension during mold-filling. Regarding the modeling of mold-filling processes, both a decoupled and a flow–fiber coupled approach are possible. In the latter, the fiber-induced viscous anisotropy is considered in the computation of the flow field. This in turn influences the evolution of the fiber orientation compared to the decoupled case. This study investigates how flow–fiber coupling in mold-filling simulation affects the stress field in the solid composite under load based on the final elastic properties after fluid–solid transition. Furthermore, the effects of Newtonian and non-Newtonian polymer matrix behavior are investigated and compared. The entire process is modeled micromechanically unified based on mean-field homogenization, both for the fiber suspension and for the solid composite. Different numerical stabilization methods of the mold-filling simulation are discussed in detail. Short glass fibers with a typical aspect ratio of 20 and a volume fraction of 20% are considered, embedded in polypropylene matrix material. The results show that the flow–fiber coupling has a large effect on the fiber orientation tensor in the range of over ± 30% with respect to the decoupled simulation. As a consequence, the flow–fiber coupling affects the stress field in the solid composite under load in the range of over ± 10%. In addition, the predictions based on a non-Newtonian modeling of the matrix fluid differ significantly from the Newtonian setup and thus the necessity to consider the shear-thinning behavior is justified in a quantifiable manner.

Non-linear instability of periodic orbits of suspensions of thin fibers in fluids

This paper is concerned with difficulties encountered by engineers when they attempt to predict the orientation of fibers in the creation of injection molded plastic parts. It is known that Jeffery's equation, which was designed to model a single fiber in an infinite fluid, breaks down very badly when applied, with no modifications, to this situation. In a previous paper, the author described how interactions between the fiber orientation and the viscosity of the suspension might cause instability, which could result in the simple predictions from Jeffery's equation being badly wrong. In this paper, we give some rigorous proofs of instability using Floquet Theory. We also give an example where the spectal radius of the monodromy operator is one, but there is still non-linear instability.

Preparation and Characterization of Microporous Cellulose Membranes as Potential Pathogen Filters

Growth and development in the textile and fashion industry have resulted in the generation of large amounts of industrial pre-consumer textile wastes. It is estimated that 10 to 20% of textile fabrics are wasted during garment manufacturing, with most of the wastes being burned or landfilled. Reusing pre-consumer fabric wastes is therefore considered a viable approach to alleviate environmental impacts associated with their disposal. To achieve a higher porosity membrane, pre-consumer cotton fabrics were partially dissolved in a solution of dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) and lithium chloride (LiCl), and the resulting fibre suspension was utilized to prepare a microporous cellulose membrane (MCM) through a vacuum filtration method. The suspension comprised a mixture of partially and completely dissolved fibres, which provided the required morphological and structural integrity to the fibrous membranes. The membranes’ chemical structure, fibre size, and morphology were characterized based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), light microscope, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. The filtration efficiency of the microporous cellulose membranes was evaluated against 500 ppm sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions. The results showed that the filtration efficiency of the membranes ranged between 31.82 and 59.85% for cellulose membranes with 60.2% porosity, suggesting that the membranes could be applied as filters against pathogens upon further improvement.

Filtration Capacity and Radiation Cooling of Cellulose Aerogel Derived from Natural Regenerated Cellulose Fibers

ABSTRACT Natural cellulosic materials are attractive biopolymers for their naturally abundant source, mechanical toughness, bioactivity, etc. However, porosity and flexibility remain challenges for the preparation of aerogels from natural cellulose. To maintain the characteristics of cellulose aerogels possessing the toughness of fibers and high porosity of aerogels, cellulose aerogels with three-dimensional void structures and high compressive resilience were prepared by mixing cellulose fiber suspension and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The PM 2.5 removal rate and thermal conductivity of cellulose aerogel reached 92.4% and 0.028 W/mK, respectively, when a PVA content of 0.7% was added, and the radiation cooling temperature was about 10.0°C lower than that of PE foam. The three-dimensional void structure and surface morphology of the cellulose aerogels were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The cellulose aerogel porosity and pore size distribution were evaluated by a mercury intrusion meter. The crystal structure of cellulose was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy was used to investigate the infrared reflectance of cellulose aerogels. Then the air purification efficiency and radiation cooling effect of porous cellulose aerogels were evaluated in a homemade device, respectively.

A new approach to deposit homogeneous samples of asbestos fibres for toxicological tests in vitro.

In this paper we describe the results obtained with a novel method to prepare depositions of asbestos fibres for toxicological tests in vitro. The technique is based on a micro-dispenser, working as an inkjet printer, able to deposit micro-sized droplets from a suspension of fibres in a liquid medium; we used here a highly evaporating liquid (ethanol) to reduce the experimental time, however other solvents could be used. Both the amount and spatial distribution of fibres on the substrate can be controlled by adjusting the parameters of the micro-dispenser such as deposition area, deposition time, uniformity and volume of the deposited liquid. Statistical analysis of images obtained by optical and scanning electron microscopy shows that this technique produces an extremely homogeneous distribution of fibers. Specifically, the number of deposited single fibres is maximized (up to 20 times), a feature that is essential when performing viability tests where agglomerated or untangled fibrous particles need to be avoided.

3D real time and in situ observation of the fibre orientation during the plane strain flow of concentrated fibre suspensions

3D real time and in situ observation of the fibre orientation during the plane strain flow of concentrated fibre suspensions

Asbestos Fibers Enhance the TMEM16A Channel Activity in Xenopus Oocytes.

The interaction of asbestos fibers with target cell membranes is still poorly investigated. Here, we detected and characterized an enhancement of chloride conductance in Xenopus oocyte cell membranes induced by exposure to crocidolite (Croc) asbestos fibers. A two-microelectrode voltage clamp technique was used to test the effect of Croc fiber suspensions on outward chloride currents evoked by step membrane depolarization. Calcium imaging experiments were also performed to investigate the variation of 'resting' oocyte [Ca2+]i following asbestos exposure. The increase in chloride current after asbestos treatment, was sensitive to [Ca2+]e, and to specific blockers of TMEM16A Ca2+-activated chloride channels, MONNA and Ani9. Furthermore, asbestos treatment elevated the 'resting' [Ca2+]i likelihood by increasing the cell membrane permeability to Ca2 in favor of a tonic activation of TMEME16A channels. Western blot analysis confirmed that TMEME16A protein was endogenously present in the oocyte cell membrane and absorbed by Croc. the TMEM16A channels endogenously expressed by Xenopus oocytes are targets for asbestos fibers and represent a powerful tool for asbestos-membrane interaction studies. Interestingly, TMEM16A channels are highly expressed in many types of tumors, including some asbestos-related cancers, suggesting them, for the first time, as a possible early target of crocidolite-mediated tumorigenic effects on target cell membranes.

Dynamics of semi‐flexible and breakable fibers under Poiseuille flow

AbstractIn the processing of fiber‐reinforced polymer composites, especially in injection molding, the fiber's orientation, length, and distribution vary depending on the location of the channel flow and its properties, which affects the performance of final products. To investigate the intricate behavior of fiber suspensions under Poiseuille flow, we used the hybrid simulation approach, multiparticle collision dynamics–molecular dynamics (MPC‐MD), which takes hydrodynamic interactions and fiber properties (strength, flexibility) into account. For non‐breakable and rodlike fibers, fibers align well along the flow direction while showing more alignment near the wall. As fiber becomes breakable and/or flexible, the length and orientation of fibers strongly depend on their properties. The interesting phenomenon is specifically seen for breakable and semiflexible fibers, where the orientation of the fiber exhibits non‐monotonic behavior depending on the flow rate. This complex behavior highlights the importance of comprehending the dynamics of many types of fibers and necessitates research into the best conditions for injection molding.

Dispersibility optimization of short carbon fiber suspension for the preparation of carbon fiber aligned mat reinforced composites

There is significant interest in the reuse of reclaimed carbon fiber (rCF) due to its economic potential and the minimization of environmental impact. However, the sub-optimal state of short rCF adversely affects its reuse value. In this paper, short rCF was aligned using wet alignment technology and the dispersibility of short carbon fiber (SCF) suspension was investigated, along with virgin carbon fiber (vCF) and rCF aligned mat reinforced epoxy (EP). The results show that the main factors that affect the dispersion rate (γ) are the HEC content, CF length, CF content and ultrasonic power, in diminishing order of magnitude of impact. The HEC content was positively correlated with γ, and the CF length and CF content negatively correlated with γ. When the ultrasonic power was less than 50%, it was positively correlated with γ, and higher than 50%, it was negatively correlated. This work suggests that the dispersibility optimization of SCF suspension to obtain well aligned rCF mat offers a possible strategy to obtain an improved quality form of rCF.

A constitutive model for sheared dense fiber suspensions

We propose a constitutive model to predict the viscosity of fiber suspensions, which undergoes shear thinning, at various volume fractions, aspect ratios, and shear stresses/rates. We calibrate the model using the data from direct numerical simulation and prove the accuracy by predicting experimental measurements from the literature. We use a friction coefficient decreasing with the normal load between the fibers to quantitatively reproduce the experimentally observed shear thinning in fiber suspensions. In this model, the effective normal contact force, which is directly proportional to the bulk shear stress, determines the effective friction coefficient. A rise in the shear stress reduces the effective friction coefficient in the suspension. As a result, the jamming volume fraction increases with the shear stress, resulting in a shear thinning in the suspension viscosity. Moreover, we extend the model to quantify the effects of fiber volume fraction and aspect ratio in the suspension. We calibrate this model using the data from numerical simulations for the rate-controlled shear flow. Once calibrated, we show that the model can be used to predict the relative viscosity for different volume fractions, shear stresses, and aspect ratios. The model predictions are in excellent agreement with the available experimental measurements from the literature. The findings of this study can potentially be used to tune the fiber size and volume fraction for designing the suspension rheology in various applications.

Role of confinement in the shear banding and shear jamming in noncolloidal fiber suspensions.

The jamming effect is critical in processing short fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTs). Fiber jamming can induce discontinuous shear thickening (DST) in simple shear and result in fiber-matrix separation in more complex flows such as injection molding and compression molding of FRTs. The confinement effect commonly induces local jams and strongly enhances fiber jamming. However, the transient evolution of local fiber jams under confinement and its correlation with the tumbling of fibers are still elusive. In this study, we adopted rheo-PIV (particle image velocity) techniques to study this effect for glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTs). The translational and tumbling motion of fiber were determined during rheological measurements, and the distribution of fiber orientation was determined by X-ray CT. Three shear banding regions appeared after the viscosity overshoot under high shear stress in suspensions with high fiber content, which was associated with the three regions of fiber orientation across the gap due to confinement. Shear banding was ascribed to the different tumbling speeds across the gap because of the different initial orientations and different wall confinements near and far from the wall. The local shear thickening and jamming behavior became most significant under intermediate confinement, and were affected by shear strain, shear stress, and fiber contents. 3D state diagrams were constructed to show the confinement effect on the evolution of shear banding and jamming.

INTERRELATION OF INDIVIDUAL PAPER-FORMING PROPERTIES AND THE DYNAMIC VISCOSITY COEFFICIENT DURING THE GRINDING OF THE FIBROUS MASS

The refining process is associated with the movement of large masses of fibrous suspensions in the working bodies of refining machines, which affects both the refining process itself and energy consumption when moving the fibrous suspension. In this regard, the efficiency of refining equipment can be ensured on the basis of knowledge of the hydrodynamic processes that occur during the interaction of the working bodies of refining equipment with a fibrous suspension.
 During the flow of fibrous suspensions, the basic rheological feature is their viscosity, which makes it possible to judge the internal forces acting in the flow. This is especially important for the bladeless refining method using the “jet-barrier” installation.
 In order to most fully judge the direction of the refining process (in the direction of the transverse shortening of the fibers or in the direction of their longitudinal fibrillation), it is necessary to control the paper-forming properties of the fibrous mass and the physical and mechanical properties of the castings.
 The publication presents an analysis of the influence of the paper-forming properties of the fibrous mass on the quality of its refining, it is advisable to find the dependence of these indicators on the rheological features of the fibrous suspension flow in the refining zone, that is, to determine the relationship of the paper-forming properties of the fibrous mass with the dynamic viscosity coefficient during the flow of the fibrous suspension in the refining zone.

Motional characteristic and impact of fiber particles in the impeller of a centrifugal pump

A centrifugal pump whose open impeller was made of polycarbonate was adopted to explore the influence of different concentrations of slender fiber particles on the external characteristics of the pump and to obtain the motional characteristics of the particles in the channels of the impeller. The external characteristics of the pump were used to determine the performance of the pump. A high-speed photographic system was used to analyze the motion of fiber particles in the channels of the impeller. Changes in the head and efficiency of the pump and changes in the distribution of fiber particles in impeller channels were obtained under different concentrations of fiber particles and different flow rates of fiber suspensions. The head associated with the transport of a fiber suspension whose mass concentration of fiber particles was 0.15% and the head associated with the transport of a fiber suspension whose mass concentration of fiber particles was 0.30% did not differ greatly from the head associated with the transport of clean water. However, compared to the transport of clean water, the transport of the fiber suspensions improved the efficiency of the pump. When the pump transported the fiber suspension whose mass concentration of fiber particles was 0.30%, on average, the efficiency of the pump increased by 8.49%. When the flow rates of the fiber suspensions increased, the uniformity of the distribution of the particles increased. When entering the impeller, a small number of fiber particles showed rotating and flapping motions. However, the motions gradually disappeared as the particles left the impeller. At a constant radius (i.e., 75% and 95% radius, respectively), the velocity profile increased gradually when the mass concentration of fiber particles increased from 0.1% to 0.15%. It is manifest that fiber suspension undergoes less flow loss as the mass concentration of fiber particles increases.

Planar fiber orientation: Jeffery, non-orthotropic closures, and reconstructing distribution functions

Many models for fiber suspensions use the second-order orientation tensor to represent the orientation state. This requires that the fourth-order orientation tensor be approximated using a closure formula. The prediction of non-linear properties also requires reconstructing an approximate orientation distribution function. All existing fourth-order closures and most reconstructions have orthotropic symmetry, which limits their accuracy. In this paper, closures and reconstruction are explored for planar fiber orientation, using a recent parameterization of fourth-order orientation tensors by Bauer and Böhlke (2021, 2022a, 2022b). We show that the orientation distribution for fibers that follow Jeffery’s equation, together with the associated natural closure, form the central axis of the space of fourth-order orientation tensors. A new family of non-orthotropic planar closure approximations is created by including the rate-of-deformation tensor as an additional independent variable. These closures are shown to be substantially more accurate than any planar orthotropic closure. We also explore the Jeffery, Bingham, ellipse radius, and fourth-order maximum entropy (ME4) functions for reconstructing the orientation distribution. When compared to distributions from the Folgar-Tucker model, ME4 using the exact fourth-order orientation tensor gives the most accurate reconstruction, while ME4 with the fourth-order tensor from the new non-orthotropic closure is nearly as good. • The Jeffery distribution is central to planar fourth-order orientation tensors. • The first-ever non-orthotropic closure approximations are developed. • Non-orthotropic closures are more accurate than any previous planar closure. • Fourth-order maximum entropy distributions give the most accurate reconstruction.

Emulgels Structured with Dietary Fiber for Food Uses: A Rheological Model.

Emulgels are biphasic emulsified systems in which the continuous phase is structured with a specific gelling agent. In this work, a rheological and microscopic investigation of O/W emulgels prepared by structuring the aqueous (continuous) phase with citrus fiber was carried out with the aim of designing their macroscopic properties for food uses and predicting their characteristics with a rheological model. According to previous investigations, fiber suspensions behave as "particle gels" and, consequently, the derived emulgels' properties are strongly dependent on the fiber concentration and on process conditions adopted to produce them. Therefore, a rotor-stator system was used to prepare emulgels with increasing fiber content and with different levels of energy and power used for mixing delivered to the materials. An investigation of particle gels was then carried out, fixing the operating process conditions according to emulgel results. Furthermore, the effect of the dispersed (oil) phase volume fraction was varied and a modified semi-empirical Palierne model was proposed with the aim of optimizing a correlation between rheological properties and formulation parameters, fixing the process conditions.

Influence of rosin resin acids amides on the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction

Resin acid amides of rosin, depending on the structure, can have both a hydrophobizing and hardening effect on paper pulps. It has been established that the developed products of rosin modification (adhesive rosin composition TMAS3N and polyamide resin ProChem DUO) containing amides of resin acids, when introduced into paper pulps made from fibrous suspensions of sulphate cellulose (unbleached and bleached) of coniferous and broad-leaved species and waste paper, different in the degree of grinding (25, 40 and 70 °ShR), contribute to the increase in the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction. The effect of the TMAS-3N emulsion was compared with the traditionally used TM and AKD sizing emulsions. The introduction of the TMAS-3N emulsion into paper pulps (0.40 % of a. d. w.) provides the maximum increase in the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction made from cellulose, equal to 16.7–88.6 %, and from waste paper – 19.4–75.4 %, which is 1.6–6.4 and 2.3–4.5 times more compared to TM emulsion, respectively. The achieved positive effect is due to the presence in the TMAS-3H emulsion of particles of the dispersed phase of hydroxyethylamides and aminoethyl ethers capable of forming hydrogen bonds with hydroxyl groups on the mating surfaces of cellulose fibers. Sizing paper stocks with AKD emulsion reduces the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction over the entire range of paper content studied. Polyamide resin ProChem DUO, which is a polyaminoamide of rosin resin acids, at its content in paper stocks of 0.10 %, increases the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction, made from cellulose and waste paper suspensions, by 50.0–92.3 and 44.4–63.5 %, respectively. The obtained results of increasing the strength of interfiber bonds in paper in the z-direction by resin acid amides of rosin are in full agreement with the mechanism of bridged bonds and the theory of hydrogen bonds.

Thermoformable fiberboards of wood pulp and nanofibrillated cellulose

Highly filled composites of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and cellulose fibers with 25–75 wt. % cellulosic filler content were prepared by a flocculation/coagulation process of a mixture of a cellulose fiber suspension and PMMA emulsion. Two types of cellulose fibers, namely never dried bleached Kraft eucalyptus wood pulp and nanofibrillated cellulose were used. The process was induced by the addition of a salt containing trivalent ions (Al 3 + ) and enabled the preparation of a very homogeneous composite and an easy water separation by decantation and filtration (approx. 80 % water removal) during the formation of boards. The panels were hot pressed at 160 °C in 2–3 mm thick plates and characterized by mechanical tensile tests, scanning electron microscopy, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The produced fiberboards can be thermoformed into more complex shapes for applications in automotive areas and as furniture and architectural panels. • Novel method of preparation of composites with cellulose fibers all-in-water medium. • Composites with high concentrations of cellulose fibers, 25–75 wt. % of fibers. • Use of poly (methyl methacrylate) nanoemulsion as matrix. • Co-precipitation method with a good distribution of fibers in the acrylic matrix. • Increased stiffness by more than 100 % for composites with 50 and 75 wt. % NFC.

The effect of colloid milling on the microstructure and functional properties of asparagus dietary fibre concentrates

Dietary Fibre Concentrate (DFC) derived from vegetables side streams obtained during industrial processing can be exploited as a fibre-rich food ingredient. In this study, colloid milling was investigated as an environmentally-friendly physical method to improve the functional properties of asparagus DFC. Functional properties such as swelling capacity, water holding capacity and emulsifying activity of asparagus DFC showed significant improvement after intensive colloid milling. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed that the microstructure of the freeze-dried samples consisted of an intertwined three-dimensional network containing highly branched micro-fibres. The fibre suspensions showed shear thinning behaviour, which could be explained by the network formation. An additional thermal pre-treatment appeared to further enhance the positive effect of colloid milling on the functional properties of DFC. This study shows that colloid milling is an effective process to functionalize asparagus DFC, which could broaden its application in fibre-rich food products.