Comments on the pore radius distribution in near-planar stochastic fibre networks

The pore radius distribution in near-planar stochastic fibre networks is known to be influenced by changes in the mean number of fibres per unit area and their distribution in the plane. Experimental data is presented that confirms the established result that the standard deviation of pore radii is proportional to the mean. The data shows also that this proportionality is the same for changes in the number of fibres per unit area and for changes in the uniformity of their in-plane distribution. Data from the literature suggests that processes that increase the mean pore radius, increase also the coefficient of variation of pore radii. Theoretical considerations and experimental data are presented that show that the coefficient of variation of pore radii is in fact constant for near-random and non-random stochastic fibre networks. © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers.