ABSTRACT
Better understanding of paper structure and properties will help the textile engineer with the design and manufacturing of forming, press and dryer fabrics. Various fillers are added to this structure to obtain certain properties such as improved strength, printability, and liquid absorption, depending on the end use. In laboratories and research centers, paper is usually made using handsheet molds for testing and analysis purposes. It is reported that strength of handmade paper is generally better than comparable papers made on commercial paper machines. Important properties of papermaking fibers include length, coarseness, intrinsic strength, cohesiveness and flexibility. The main ingredient of wood fiber is cellulose material. Although cellulose fibers can be obtained from different plants, wood is the most widely used material in papermaking because it is abundant and relatively inexpensive. Flexibility is the ability of fiber to conform when pressed against other wet fibers and to keep its form during drying due to the cohesiveness of the surface.
