On uniqueness of fibrous materials

摘要

This paper summarizes some remarkable issues in fibrous materials, i.e., any material systems formed by fiber-like constituents such as felt, cloth, paper, muscle and wood. Such interest can go back as far as Galileo who was fascinated by the fact that short fibres can form a long and strong rope via friction between fibers induced by twisting, although a relatively rigorous account for the mechanism has not been available until recently. It is almost exclusively the feature of fibrous materials where pliability, compressibility, high toughness and durability coexist, making the material irreplaceable and indispensable in many engineering applications. The questions regarding fiber packing, flexibility, friction, and fabric formability have inspirited studies not only from fiber scientists, but from science communities at large. Furthermore, the fiber capillary phenomena and the distinct thermal behaviours of the material have provoked many scientific curiosities and endeavours, yielding countless practical applications. Nonetheless, the fibrous materials, arguably the first type of engineering material, remain perhaps the least understood, not to mention the fact that most biomaterials, plants or body muscles, are formed by fibrous constituents.