Formation and fragmentation of nylon fibre aggregates

TL;DR

This study investigates how nylon fibers form and break apart in turbulent flows, providing experimental data, a phase diagram of aggregation states, and a model for fragmentation time validation.

Contribution

It introduces an experimental setup for fiber aggregation in turbulence, characterizes aggregate properties, and proposes a validated fragmentation model.

Findings

Established a phase diagram for aggregation states

Characterized statistical properties of fiber aggregates

Developed and validated a fragmentation time model

Abstract

The aggregation process of fibers suspended in a fluid remains an open question, despite its critical role in numerous natural and industrial processes. This paper presents an experimental setup designed to create fiber aggregates in a turbulent flow. The phase diagram for the aggregation states is established as a function of the experimental parameters, and the statistical properties of the resulting aggregates are characterized. Additionally, the fragmentation process is investigated, and a model is proposed to describe the fragmentation time of the aggregates, which is subsequently validated through comparison with experimental results.