Fibre suspensions are ubiquitous in nature and technology. They occur in flowing form and as extended networks. Flow of fibre suspensions takes place in smaller network portions, fibre floes. Fibre networks normally form when fibre flows stop and vice versa. Traditionally, fibre suspensions are treated as systems of fibres. Here they will be treated as crowded systems of compressible floes. With a large Couette device it is shown that these floes split and fuse, shrink and swell and behave much like a particulate system composed of compressible floes suspended in a liquid, which can move in and out of the floes. The investigated average shear rate range is from zero to about 600 s(-1).

Technical fibre flows are normally flocky, but have theoretically mainly been treated as individual fibre flows. The reason for this can only be understood in the context of historic development. In Part 1 of this historic investigation the roots of fibre flow research are traced to the beginning of the 19th century. The subsequent development is followed through its formative period in the first half of the 20th century up to about WW2. Part 2 will continue up to about 1960s when the present main tradition had been well established. In Part 2, an example of an alternative approach will also be given, and some proposals for future development presented.

Technical fibre flows are normally flocky but have theoretically mainly been treated as individual fibre flows. The reason for this can only be understood through the subject's historic development. In Part 1 of this investigation the origin of fibre flow research was traced to the beginning of the 19th century, and was followed through its formative years at the first half of the 20th century up to about WWII. This second and final part takes us up to about the 1960s when the present main theoretical research tradition had been firmly established. An example of an alternative approach is given. Finally, some suggestions for future work are advanced. In Appendix methods of characterising the inner geometry of technical fibre suspensions are discussed.

Pressure and wire position measurements have been performed in an experimental facility, the KTH-Former, which intends to model the roll-forming zone of a paper machine. The measured pressure distributions in the forming zone are shown to have more complex patterns than the simple model p=T/R, which normally is referred to as the nominal pressure. It is also shown that an increase in wire tension has a similar effect as a decrease in flow-rate on the shape of the pressure distribution. This is a consequence of that the flow to a large extent is governed by the relation between the dynamic pressure and the nominal pressure. For the case of partial dewatering the suction peak that appears at the roll-wire separation point has a strong influence on the pressure distribution upstream. Finally, it is shown that the drainage has a stabilizing effect on the dewatering pressure.