Patent ID: 8468000

Claim:
A method of simulation, comprising: representing at least a portion of an absorbent article with a computer based model of the absorbent article, wherein the absorbent article includes an absorbent material, and wherein the absorbent material is represented by a plurality of elements with each of the elements including an amount of the absorbent material; representing a distribution of a bodily fluid in the article with a computer based model of the bodily fluid; for each of the elements, determining a calculated swelling, based, at least in part, on an amount of the bodily fluid absorbed by the absorbent material in the element; and transforming the model of the absorbent article by simulating a swelling of the absorbent article; wherein, for each of the elements, the determining of the calculated swelling is based, at least in part, on a porosity of the absorbent material in the element.