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Paperweek International 2003: Graduate Students Razzle, Dazzle ‘Em
March 1, 2003 By Pulp & Paper Canada
They came, they saw, they conquered. Perhaps you noticed one of the many students who milled about the Palais des Congres during EXFOR. They often traveled in groups, or could be spotted standing next…
They came, they saw, they conquered. Perhaps you noticed one of the many students who milled about the Palais des Congres during EXFOR. They often traveled in groups, or could be spotted standing next to a brightly colored poster displaying their thesis work. However, on the closing morning of the conference, students from a wide selection of Canadian universities went out with a bang.
They were out to impress, and impress they did. The Canadian Pulp and Paper Graduate Students Seminars provided a forum for both newcomers and pioneers of the industry to disseminate and evaluate new ideas circling through the field. The students provided the innovation, and those who had created and built careers in the industry asked the questions.
Edmund Young, from the University of British Columbia presented his paper on the Numerical Study of Pulp Fiber Sedimentation, Using Experimental Results from Positron Emission Tomography. “The inverse problem was to match up the experimental results from PET with the numerical solution from the forward solver,” he explained. “We obtained experimental results, and in the future, we’ll investigate other numerical methods, and investigate other functional forms,” he added.
Next in line to present her master’s thesis work on Fibre Bonding and Mass Decay Near Fracture Line in Paper, was Chamiko Gallage, from the University of Toronto. “This is very important in production,” she said of her chosen topic. “Fibre and fibre bond strength are most difficult to find.” Gallage explained that decay near a fracture line is dependent on bonding. “We created many mass decay curves, and the simulation can work for any fiber length distribution.” The results of her project indicated that peel energy and bond strength both increase when combined with an increase in PT energy. “The force required to break the bonds in a flexible fiber is less than a rigid paper,” she confirmed. “Mass decay can be experimentally measured and modeled theoretically, but more experimentation is needed,” she concluded.
McGill University’s PhD student Francoise Furel presented her work on Coated Paper Print Quality Development Through Drying. “Coated paper is porous, and I wanted to study the steam drying process of coated paper in order to understand how drying mechanisms affect print quality,” Furel explained. “I’m specifically interested in the printing of higher gloss, low mottle paper,” she added.
Boxin Zhao, from McMaster University focused his work on Peeling Tapes from Paper — The Real Force on Paper. He launched into his somewhat off-the-beaten-path topic by first addressing the simple question, ‘why do this research?’ “Well, paper is widely used with adhesives,” he said matter-of-factly. “So, the strength of paper surface is crucial. Fibers can easily be picked up from uncoated papers. Susceptible to delamination, peeling reveals many surface phenomenon,” he continued.
All in all, the students who made the trek to Montreal for the 89th Annual Meeting brought some very worthwhile contributions with them. They demonstrated an admirable understanding and appreciation of the industry, and exhibited innovative thinking about directions the industry should be looking towards. Should the young faces that were seen at the Palais des Congres during EXFOR have anything to say about the future of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Industry, the pioneers of the field can rest easy.#text2#
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