Simulation of triaxial deformation of wet fiber networks

Triaxial deformations of very wet and weak fiber networks under tensile load were investigated by computer simulations. Numerical studies show that lateral Poisson's ratio depends on the applied strain as shown by earlier micromechanical models. Simulations also capture experimentally observed behavior of network thickness during straining. Network thickness decreases or increases during stretching depending on the fiber stiffness. For very stiff fibers, network slightly expands in the thickness direction as proposed for wet fiber networks. The shape of stress-strain curve is affected by the gap length, which should be taken into account when analyzing short span tensile tests.