TSO, TSI and Fibre Orientation OPtimization

Stuart Loewen, PhD

LSZ PaperTech Inc.
Vancouver, BC
Canada

ABSTRACT

The Tensile Stiffness Orientation, or TSO, is an important paper quality that has a significant impact on both the performance
of the paper machine and the end-use performance of the paper or board. When correctly interpreted, the cross-machine
profiles of the TSO Angle give clear direction on how to improve the headbox jet flow profile. The results are improved
edge roll quality, paper machine productivity and printing and converting performance. The related Tensile Stiffness Index
or TSI properties also play a critical role in paper quality, in ways that are not measured by more traditional paper physical
tests.

Unfortunately, both the TSI properties and TSO Angle are frequently misunderstood or misinterpreted by papermakers. This
paper is an introduction to understanding, interpreting and optimizing the Tensile Stiffness properties in paper. It describes
how the TSI and the TSO Angle are measured, what the measurements mean, and how they can be used to optimize final
sheet characteristics. Both on-machine and off-machine measurement techniques are discussed; along with the resulting
information about the fibre orientation and its relationship to the standard sheet properties, as well as the operating settings of
the paper machine. Some typical target TSI and TSO profile numbers are included.

WHAT ARE “TSI” AND “TSO”, AND WHAT DO THEY TELL US?

The Tensile Stiffness Index, or TSI, is the specific stiffness of the paper. By specific stiffness we mean the stiffness per unit
mass, so that the measurement is not directly affected by the basis weight of the sample. TSI has units of kNm/g, which is
the amount of force per unit length of extension divided by basis weight. The greater this stiffness, the less the sample
extends when pulled by a given force. The TSI is measured in both the Machine Direction (MD), Cross Machine Direction
(CD) and angles in between.

In machine made papers, because of draws and jet-fabric

TSO Fibre Orientation Testing
Ultrasonic
MD
1
1. TSO Angle
2 = Tensile Stiffness Orientation
or Fibre Alignment Angle
2. TSI MD Stiffness
= Machine Direction
stiffness/unit mass in tension
3 3. TSI CMD Stiffness
CMD
= Cross-Machine Direction
stiffness/unit mass in tension
4. TSI MD/CMD Ratio
speed differences, the TSI MD is almost always greater than
the TSI CD. The fibres can be considered to be
hydrodynamically “combed”, more or less in the machine
direction at the wet end, and pulled in the machine direction
further down the machine. The wet end “combing” is often
not exactly in the MD due to cross-flows in the jet. The
resulting angle at which the paper is the most stiff, is at
some angle from the MD. This is called the TSO Angle, as
shown in the diagram in Figure 1. This polar diagram also
shows the stiffness in different directions in the paper. The
TSO Angle, or polar angle, is simply the angle where the
TSI is the highest. It can be thought of as the direction in
which most of the fibres are pointing, and so is also called
the fibre alignment angle.

The highest TSO Angles occur when there are high cross-
Figure 1

flows and a low jet-fabric speed difference. This is because cross-flows in the jet result in this combing action not being
exactly in the machine direction. When the cross-flows become a significant fraction of the jet-fabric speed difference, high
TSO Angles result1 .
TSI and TSO values are measured ultrasonically. These measurements are valuable to papermakers because they offer the
most convenient, quick and reproducible way to get profiles of the paper stiffness properties. These profiles are used to
quantify and eliminate paper performance problems which were previously “invisible” to conventional paper tests. TSI and
TSO profiles are also being used in some mills to replace routine measurement of the more laborious and less reproducible
measures of various bending and in-plane stiffnesses and strength properties which are critical to some paper and board
grades. Properties such as compression strength, bending stiffness, ring crush and short span compression strength of
packaging grades can be directly predicted by TSI measurements. In other cases, the TSI MD profile has been found to be a
reliable measure of the slack edge problem, and the TSO Angle a reliable guide to reducing a slack edge. Many papermaking
and end use problems relate to sub-optimal or non-uniform elastic properties of paper, rather than any deficiencies in strength
properties. Problems such as high break rates in newsprint are often found more related to slack edges and non-uniform TSI
MD than to low intrinsic strength of the paper. Problems such as twist warp in linerboard, curl, mis-register in printing
grades, sheet stability under varying humidity conditions and runnability problems in winders, converting operations and
printing presses are all affected by TSI and TSO profiles.

TSI and TSO profile measurement also gives a direct picture of the headbox flow profile and can be used to help optimize
papermaking process variables such as refining, headbox header balance, slice opening, dilution control settings, jet to wire
ratio, wet end drainage, wet pressing, and machine draws2.

HOW ARE TSO AND TSI MEASURED?

There are at least two commercial instruments for off-machine measurement of the TSO and TSI3,4. Both instruments now
feed cross-machine strips under a measurement head to obtain CD profiles of the TSO and TSI, as shown in Figure 2, and
both are available as part of integrated paper test equipment as in Figure 3. These instruments exploit the fact that sound
travels faster along directions in which the paper is stiffer. In fact, the TSI is simply the speed of sound squared. The fibre
orientation properties are inferred from the stiffness orientation because fibre networks are stiffer in the directions where
more fibres are pointing, although its important to remember that the stiffness is also increased by MD draws and CD drying
restraint.

There are a number of other instruments available that use

optical methods to measure the orientation of fibres in
paper, both on and off machine. These instruments can give
a truer picture of the fibre orientation because they are
looking directly at the fibres, however they do not directly
tell us about the stiffness or stiffness profile of the paper,
which are key to paper performance. Some of the optical
instruments can even measure two-sidedness of fibre
alignment angle and fibre orientation ratio, information that
can be critical to solving curl problems5. There is also a
recently developed instrument that measures ultrasonic
stiffness directly on the papermachine6. Monitoring the
elastic stiffness of paper on-machine is likely to have a
significant impact on the paper industry in the future7.
Continuous, real-time measurement of TSI and TSO allows
the operator to adjust the furnish, refining, and the paper
machine to the optimum combination of strength, cost and
quality as the paper is produced. However, from here on, we
Figure 2 will deal only with off-machine ultrasonic measurement.

The measuring head on the TSO type instruments consist of pairs of ultrasonic transmitters and receivers spaced 10cm apart.
The instrument measures the time it takes an ultrasonic pulse to travel this fixed distance and so determines the sound speed.
Ultrasonic pulse speeds in paper range from about 1.5 to 3.5 km/sec depending on the grade and orientation. The sound
speed squared is the TSI in the direction of the transducer pair. The TSI and TSO are not directly affected by changes to the
basis weight of the sample. However, the results can be indirectly affected by changes to basis weight, because when
changing basis weight the papermaking conditions usually change, resulting in changes to the fibre orientation and sheet
consolidation, which will change the specific stiffness.
Another point worth noting is that the ultrasonic pulses’
wavelengths are much greater than the thickness of paper, so the
TSI and TSO measurements are of the bulk of the paper, with no
two-sidedness effect.

The transmitter/receiver pairs are oriented in the MD, CD and at

least every 22.5 degrees in between. The diagram in Figure 1
shows the result of this measurement, the so-called “Peanut
Diagram”. This diagram is a polar diagram showing the stiffness
in different directions of the paper under the measuring head.
From this single point measurement the instrument determines
the TSI MD, TSI CD and the TSO Angle, as shown. Sometimes
this polar diagram shows a pinched waist, giving it the peanut
shape shown here.

Looking at Figure 1 we can also answer what happens to the TSI

MD and TSI CD when we have high TSO Angles. A high TSO
Angle will cause this “peanut” to be tilted to one side. There will
be fewer fibres in the MD resulting in a lower MD stiffness, and
more fibres in the CD resulting in a higher CD stiffness. You can
see this effect geometrically if you look at Figure 1 and imagine
what happens to the span across the CD and MD axes if the
Figure 3
peanut were tilted more. We can see some of this effect influencing the TSI MD and TSI CD profiles on papermachines
when we change edge flows and thus the TSO Angle.

Although using high cross-flows to comb more fibres in the CD may achieve higher CD stiffness on some paper grades, it
would be at the expense of high TSO Angles. This can cause a number of problems, such as missed turn-ups, diagonal
pulling of the web, higher CD dry weight variations and slack edges. If possible, higher CD stiffness should be obtained by
raising TSI CD and reducing TSI MD without increasing the TSO Angle. This may be accomplished by minimizing the
rush/drag (the difference between headbox jet speed and wire speed), opening the slice or adjusting the jet landing position.
As well, ensuring a uniform drying profile throughout the dryer section and increasing CD drying restraint can help maintain
CD stiffness, without loss of MD stiffness.

HOW IS THE IMPACT OF TSO AND TSI ON PAPER PROPERTIES INTERPRETED?

By testing points across the width of an accurately cut machine width strip, the TSO type instruments generate CD profiles of
the TSO Angle, TSI MD, TSI CD and TSI MD/CD Ratio. The TSO type instruments can measure the TSI in 8 directions
simultaneously, stepping across an entire reel width in about 10 minutes with measurements every 5 to 10cm, resulting in a
measurement which is much quicker and much more reproducible than conventional tear, tensile, or stiffness testing. The
diagrams in Figure 4 show typical TSO and TSI profiles for a web fed type grade such as newsprint. Similar profiles, but
with lower MD/CD ratios are found for other grades such as copy paper or corrugating medium where a less oriented sheet is
desired.

TSO Angle:

The TSO Angle profile serves as both a primary quality measure of the paper, and as a guide to tuning headbox jet direction
uniformity. High TSO Angles show the presence of headbox cross-flows. The example shown in Figure 4a shows a negative
angle at the front of about –1.2 degrees and a positive angle at the back of +6.9 degrees. TSO Angles should typically be
less than +3 degrees. High TSO Angles are associated with dimensional stability problems8 such as diagonal curl and z-fold
stack lean9 in printing grades, color miss-register from diagonal pulling of part of the web and missed turn-ups. High TSO
Angles are also associated with twist warp in linerboard. Twist warp is caused by differences in average fiber orientation of
the singleface and doubleface plies when the combined board structure goes through humidity changes10.
Below the TSO Angle profile in Figure 4a you can see the corresponding fibre angles drawn in exaggerated form, clockwise
for positive angles and anti-clockwise for negative angles. Below that, you can see the corresponding flow profile inferred
from this fibre angle profile. The flow angles are opposite because this paper was made in a drag condition, where the jet
was moving slower than the forming fabric. The arrowheads have been drawn on the bottom of the lines. This was done so
that the back edge of this papermachine is correctly on the left hand side when viewed looking down the paper machine
toward the dry end. If this papermachine had its front edge on the left, the arrows would need to have been drawn on the top
of the lines to maintain the correct handedness of the papermachine.

B
A

C D

Figure 4

When correctly interpreted, the TSO Angle profile can give us a “picture” of the flow profile exiting the headbox, and thus
show the machine tender in which directions to make adjustments of edge flow correcting devices, slice opening and taper
header balance. It can also show the presences of damage to the slice lip resulting in diverging or converging flow
conditions. In the example shown here we would want to increase the pressure behind the slice at the back edge to correct
the toe-out flow there. How this is done depends on the tools available on each paper machine.

Figure 4a also shows the Mean Value of the TSO Angle is 1.342 degrees. This Mean Value indicates overall balance of
angles across the entire headbox and on some types of headboxes is closely related to the taper header balance and on others
to edge flow tuning. Reel averaged TSO Angles should typically be less than +0.3 degrees. Here, the Mean Value is much
too high, but was brought in range when the back edge flow was corrected.

TSI MD Stiffness:

The profile shown in Figure 4b is interesting because drops in MD stiffness are a measure of slackness in the sheet.
Typically, the edges show drops in TSI MD stiffness because of both unrestrained drying at the edges and headbox cross-
flows, usually outflows, resulting in high TSO Angles. Slack edges are portions of the sheet where the paper is physically
longer. These longer portions of the web are not pulled as tight between guide rolls or dryer cans because the neighbouring
shorter paper takes the tension load first, see Figure 5. Slack edges result in runnability problems on the paper machine, the
winder, and in printing presses, and can cause sheet wrinkling or breaks. Good TSI MD profiles are flat and symmetric about
the centre of the machine with no sawtooth shapes. Also, they do not drop by more than 0.6 kNm/g or 7% at either edge11.
Here, the slack edge at the back was corrected when the edge flow was adjusted to correct the TSO Angle.
 TSI also correlates with the bending stiffness of linerboard
and boxboard grades. The average TSI MD can therefore be
used to calculate the average MD bending stiffness of the
Slack Edge = MD Stiffness sheet12 .
Difference Across Roll
TSI CD Stiffness:
Take-off line
Figure 4c shows the CD profile of the TSI CD stiffness.
This profile is largely determined by the CD shrinkage
profile on the papermachine. The higher the shrinkage at the

s
es
edges, the greater the drop in TSI CD. Good TSI CD
fn
if
St
MD Stiffness drops as
profiles are flat and symmetric, do not drop by more than
D

Slack Edge
M

longer edge has less MD

at Edge of Reel
drying restraint
about 25% of their maximum, and for newsprint, do not
have an average lower than 2.0 kNm/g. The close link
between the shrinkage profile on the papermachine, CD re-
Figure 5 expansion when wetted during printing or converting, and

the TSI CD profile make this measure very useful for diagnosing dimensional stability problems.

Again, TSI CD can also be used to calculate CD bending stiffness for packaging grades. TSI CD also correlates with other
important CD strength properties including Ring Crush, Short Span Compression strength (SCT or STFI) and, for corrugating
medium, the Concorra Fluting Crush test (CFC or CCT). For corrugated board the TSI CD of the liner and medium can be
used to predict the Edge Compressive Strength (ECT) and Box Compression Strength (BCT) of the combined board.

Variations in TSI MD and TSI CD across the width of the sheet will indicate the cross machine variations in these MD and
CD strength properties for board, and show to what extent a roll of board from the edge of the paper machine will not have
the same performance as a roll from a center position.

TSI MD/CD Ratio:

This so called fibre orientation ratio, shown in Figure 4d, is high for web fed grades (3.5-4.8) such as newsprint where we
want maximum MD strength and CD tear, so we drag many more fibres in the MD than the CD. For web fed grades, the
objective should be to have as high a ratio as possible until you reach the point where too few fibres in the CD result in
fanout type colour misregister, MD tear or CD tensile failure problems. A good balance of TSI MD/CD for these grades is
usually in the range of 4.0-4.2 kNm/g, although there are many factors outside the scope of this article that determine the
optimum value on individual papermachines. For board grades the TSI MD/CD ratio is a good indicator for optimizing the
CD compression strength versus bursting strength of linerboard or corrugating medium, and for optimizing the MD/CD ratio
of bending stiffness of boxboard.

The TSI MD/CD ratio is low (2.0-2.5) for grades requiring a “square” sheet with high CD stiffness and maximum
dimensional stability, such as corrugating medium and copy paper. The profile of the MD/CD ratio is typically a smile
because the TSI CD drops more rapidly at the edges than the TSI MD.

HOW DO DILUTION HEADBOXES IMPROVE THE TSO ANGLE?

Fiber orientation is heavily dependant on headbox design and operation, and is usually more sensitive to headbox flow
conditions than to basis weight profiles13. One of the reasons dilution headboxes were introduced was to decouple the dry
weight from the TSO Angle profile. In a conventional headbox the slice opening profile is adjusted by bending the slice lip,
and this controls the dry weight profile. However, slice lip bending causes changes in the local flow rate, jet velocity, and jet
direction, resulting in cross-flows at that location14. This results in locally higher TSO Angles. With a dilution control
headbox, ideally, the slice opening can remain flat while the dilution rate is increased to lower the dry weight, without
compromising the TSO Angle profile.
At first it was thought this decoupling of dry weight and TSO Angle would allow a flat slice opening profile. Now however,
some operators are tuning the slice opening to whatever reduces the TSO Angle to a minimum, even if it means a non-
uniform slice opening profile. This tuning can help overcome the built in cross machine variation caused by the limitations
of a tapered header and by headbox edge effects. The dilution control then maintains the dry weight profile, compensating for
CD variations originating in the paper machine and stock approach systems. In practice, this author has found this basis
weight and slice flow profile provides opportunity for the TSO Angle to get seriously wrong if slice actuator settings are
determined without reference to TSO Angle profiles.

Even on some papermachines without dilution headboxes, dry weight uniformity is viewed as less critical to printing and
converting performance than TSO Angle and TSI MD uniformity. In these cases, the target weight at the edges is usually
biased to minimize TSO Angle and counteract slack edge problems.

CONCLUSION

The profiles of the MD stiffness, CD stiffness and the Angle from the MD at which the paper is most stiff are critical to its
printing and converting performance. These key paper properties are called the TSI MD, TSI CD and TSO Angle
respectively. TSO type lab instruments conveniently measure these key paper properties from machine width strips. New
equipment is being developed to measure TSI, TSO and optically derived fibre orientation properties directly on the paper
machine. Properly interpreted, the TSO Angle profile can also show the papermaker in which way the cross-flows need to be
changed to improve the edge roll quality. The TSO type measurements provide critical paper quality information that is
invisible to conventional paper tests.

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