SIMULATION STUDY OF WOOD-FLAKE COMPOSITE MAT STRUCTURES

The concept of composite mat simulation is developed assuming real mat formation following a random process. Based on the mathematical model developed by Dai and Steiner (1-4), a Monte Carlo simulation program was written to run in a Microsoft Windows environment. Several kinds o f simulations and calculations can be performed. In this study, mats t hat were randomly generated by a computer were analyzed in terms of th e following structural characteristics: flake deposition, flake center placement, flake area coverage, free flake length and its distributio n, flake crossings, location and distribution of void size, and densit y and overlap distributions. The simulation program can also determine the effect of sampling zone size on the maximum, minimum, and mean de nsity, and the standard deviation and mean deviation of density distri bution. A similar analysis could also be performed on experimentally d esigned mats. This paper demonstrates the use of the simulation progra m as a tool to improve the understanding of internal mat structures an d the related properties.