A database of finite element models and simulation systems for transporting sheets of paper

Abstract

Machines used for handling flexible sheets of paper may easily undergo jams due to the existence of irregular conditional sheets. However, most of the studies on handling behaviours have only been done for general sheets of paper transported with some simple guides. Establishing an efficient calculation method and analysis system that can predict all kinds of sheets whether or not there is jam in transport guides becomes more and more important. In this article, based on an analysis of the transport of a head-folded sheet in a V-type guide both in the experiment and finite-element (FE) simulation, the method of building the database of FE models for conditional sheets is established. A simulation system that directly connects the computeraided design tools and the established database is also developed. Some simulated examples of sheet handling behaviours are demonstrated. It is shown that the developed system is useful for designing any transport guide.