title: Elasticity of Poissonian fiber networks
abstract: An effective-medium model is introduced for the elasticity of two-dimensional random fiber networks. These networks are commonly used as basic models of heterogeneous fibrous structures such as paper. Using the exact Poissonian statistics to describe the microscopic geometry of the network, the tensile modulus can be expressed by a single-parameter function. This parameter depends on the network density and fiber dimensions, which relate the macroscopic modulus to the relative importance of axial and bending deformations of the fibers. The model agrees well with simulation results and experimental findings. We also discuss the possible generalizations of the model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland.
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Astrom
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Makinen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alava
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Timonen