Spreading on textiles: Dynamics of drops on model poroelastic fibrous materials

When a wetting drop is deposited on a fibrous material, such as water on paper or fabric, its spreading is coupled with absorption between and inside the fibers, which often causes swelling and large deformations of the fiber network. Using experimental model systems and simple modeling, we describe the coupled effects of perfect wetting, capillary forces, and liquid absorption/swelling in assemblies of fibers.