Astenjohnson, Inc.

Rae Patel

Rex Barrett

Derek Chaplin

Chaplin Derek

A papermaker's through-air dryer (TAD) fabric for use in the production of tissue and towel products. The fabric is woven according to a 10-shed, semi-duplex weave design in which the warp and weft yarns are arranged so as to form pockets of at least two differing sizes in a first planar fabric surface. The pockets are designed and arranged to impart a measure of bulk and absorbency to the paper products conveyed thereon by providing MD oriented recesses in the PS fabric surface into which a portion of the component fibers of the paper products formed on the fabric are deflected during manufacture.

Ten-shed semi-duplex through-air dryer fabric

A double layer papermakers' fabric that is particularly suitable for forming or through-air drying (TAD) of high bulk tissue and towel product is provided. The fabric includes a single warp yarn system interwoven with three weft yarn systems such that: a first of the weft yarn systems is located on the paper side (PS) surface of the fabric; a second of the weft yarn systems is located on the machine side (MS) surface of the fabric; and the third weft yarn system is located intermediate between the first and second weft yarn systems. The yarns of the first and second weft yarn systems are interwoven with the warp yarn system such that they are vertically stacked with respect to one another in the fabric. The yarns of the third weft yarn system are interwoven so as to be located in a central plane of the fabric that is intermediate of the first and second weft yarn systems, and each yarn of the third yarn system is located in between the vertically stacked pairs of weft yarns of the first and second weft yarn systems. The warp and weft yarn systems are interwoven according to an asymmetric design which provides generally rectangular pockets on each of the PS and MS of the fabric with the yarns of the third weft yarn system forming the 'bottom' of each pocket. There may be from about 50 to 750 pockets per sq. in. of fabric, each ranging in depth from about 0.1 mm to about 1.0 mm in depth; these pockets impart unevenness to the fabric surface which assists in creating bulk in the sheet formed or conveyed thereon. The fabrics of the invention also offer low sheet contact area, typically less than 30% of the total fabric surface, and generally in the range of from 15% to about 20%. The fabrics are also highly air permeable to ensure good air flow and drainage of the sheet.

Double layer papermakers fabric with pockets for bulk enhancement

A multilayered papermakers' forming fabric comprises at least one set of machine direction (MD) warp yarns, at least a first set of cross-machine direction (CD) machine side layer weft yarns; and paper side layer weft yarns woven in a repeating pattern with at least some of the MD warp yarns. At least some of the paper side layer weft yarns comprise an array of bulk enhancing weft yarns each having a vertical dimension which exceeds a corresponding vertical dimension of each of the remaining paper side layer weft yarns in a ratio of at least 1.25:1. Selected weft yarns can have different float lengths in the paper side surface. The fabrics of the invention impart increased bulk for products such as towel or tissue without loss of other required characteristics.

Bulk enhancing forming fabrics

A single layer papermakers fabric comprises machine direction (MD) warp yarns interwoven with cross-machine direction (CD) weft yarns to a repeating weave pattern requiring N sheds in the loom, N being an integer and at least 4. Each warp yarn follows a path in the paper side surface comprising four segments in each pattern repeat. In each of the first and third segments, the warp yarn interweaves with three consecutive weft yarns to form a double warp knuckle, and in the second and fourth segments, the warp yarn forms respectively a first and second MD float having unequal float lengths, at least one of the MD floats being over at least N consecutive weft yarns. The fabrics provide high air permeability, and increased surface contact area, stability and seam strength, and are particularly suitable for use as forming fabrics and through air dryer fabrics for tissue and towel products.

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Appleton, WI, United States of America

Rae Patel