Turkish Journal of Forestry (Mar 2016)
Effects of decreasing grammage on the handsheet properties of unbeaten and beaten kraft pulps
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of decreasing grammage on handsheet properties of unbeaten (15 °SR) and beaten (35 °SR) kraft pulps of European aspen (Populus tremula L.) and maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.). Six different basis weights from 100 g/m2 to 50 g/m2 (with 10 g/m2 intervals) were employed. Tensile index, TEA (tensile energy absorption), burst index, tear index, opacity, and apparent density of the handsheets gradually decreased with decreasing handsheet grammage. The decrease in strength properties that occurred with decreasing grammage was more evident in unbeaten pulps of both species than in beaten pulps. However, the effect of decreasing grammage on apparent density and opacity was more pronounced in beaten pulp handsheets of both species than in unbeaten pulp handsheets.
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