Flotation and Aerodynamic Instability of Webs in a Dryer

A mathematical model has been developed as a design optimization tool for the prediction of the aerodynamic behavior of a web in an industrial dryer. In particular the key modeling objective is to examine the propagation of stress waves within the web to determine its lateral motion and hence its stability. Numerical solutions were obtained through a coupling of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations and structural dynamic simulations (SDS). The viscoelastic behavior of the web and the presence of turbulence were found to significantly affect the stability of the web.Copyright © 2004 by ASME