DEGREE OF FIBER BONDING INDEX BY SHORT-SPAN TENSILE TESTING

This method provides a measure of the degree of bonding of a random, standard aggregate of pulp fibers based on zero short-span tensile testing. The test requires a zero-span tensile apparatus as described in TAPPI T 273 “Wet Zero-Span Tensile Strength of Pulp” which may be adjusted to an initial jaw separation of 0.4 mm. The short-span (0.4 mm) tensile strength of a dried, random array of fibers, expressed as a ratio of the shortspan tensile strength of the same fiber aggregate when wetted, provides a measure of the degree of interfiber bonding of the fibers in the dried aggregate. This quantity is defined as the B number.