Characterization of Fiber Fines by Drainage Resistance Analysis

This thesis begins by developing a literature background for a variety of pulp characterization methods and relating them to present-day techniques. Two methods are evaluated and compared with the Canadian Standard Freeness (C.S.F.) test. They are the Centrifugal Water Retention (C.W.R.) method and the constant rate filtration resistance method using the Pulmac Permeability instrument. A standard pulp was used and the fines content was varied from 0% to 25% at 5% intervals. Handsheets were made and the pulp characterization values were related to sheet strength values. In general, the data indicated that the specific surface area, from the constant filtration test, the C.S.F., and the C.W.R. values, tended to follow the same trends. These values also tended to follow handsheet strength tests. However, the specific volume value calculated from the filtration resistance test data was more precise in its correlation with the handsheet strength tests