Mechanical flocculation in flowing fiber suspensions

Non-Brownian fibers commonly flocculate in flowing suspensions. A particle level simulation technique modeling fibers as chains of rods connected by h inges is developed to probe flocculation. Simulations show that flocculatio n can be induced solely by interfiber friction-attractive forces between fi bers are not necessary. Simulated mechanical flee characteristics are consi stent with experimental observations. In contrast, simulations of flocs for med by attractive farces behave qualitatively differently.