Kimberly-clark Worldwide, Inc.

Richard Louis Underhill

Thomas Gerard Shannon

Kayla Elizabeth Rouse

David John Paulson

Marsha M Malone

Felicia Marie Sauer

John Matthew Reiser

David William Koenig

Duane Gerard Krzysik

Beth Anne Lange

Kevin Leon LaBerge

Gilbert Darrell Gafford

Kevin Joseph Vogt

Michael John Niemeyer

Marianne Keevill Leick

Bernard J Minerath, Iii

Kimberly M Bleck

Michael Alan Hermans

Christopher Peter Olson

Kenneth John Zwick

Shirlee Ann Weber

Paul Douglas Beuther

Stephen Michael Lindsay

Brent Merrik Thompson

Robert Irving Gusky

Rebecca Suzanne Walter

Emily Schulte

David Jon Wears

Mike Thomas Goulet

Christopher Lee Satori

Bernard Joseph Minerath

Zhiying Yu

Samantha C Ackerly

Jessica N Sherek

Jeff Sonnenberg

Jeff Mathews

Terry L Adams

Kevin Leon Laberge

Disclosed are non-wood pulps having a fiber length greater than about 1.70 mm and a Very Long Fiber (VLF) content of about 0.50% or less. The fibers are readily dispersible in water and useful in the formation of fibrous sheets, particularly wet-laid sheets and more particularly wet-laid tissue sheets having a relatively low basis weight. In addition of having a relatively long fiber length and a low VLF content, the pulps may also have a Dispersivity Index of about 2.00 or less, which is indicative of a relatively narrow fiber length distribution. The pulps may be prepared from plants of the family Asparagaceae by mechanical pulping and more preferably by a chemi-mechanical pulping process using an alkaline and hydrogen peroxide where the plant biomass is cut to size prior to pulping.

Dispersible non-wood pulp

Soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers are disclosed. The tissue products preferably comprise at least about 5 percent, by weight of the product, high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber and have relatively modest tensile strengths, such as a geometric mean tensile (GMT) greater than about 1,000 g/3″, and improved durability and cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as a CD Stretch greater than about 10 percent. Additionally, at the foregoing tensile strengths the products are not overly stiff. For example, the tissue products may have a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0.

High strength and low stiffness hesperaloe tissue

The present invention provides a wet-laid tissue product comprising regenerated cellulose fibers that can provide 25 percent or less of the total weight of the wet-laid tissue product. The regenerated cellulose fibers can have a linear density of less than about 1.5 dtex and a fiber length of less than 6.0 mm. The wet-laid tissue product can provide improvements in softness at a given strength. The products may also have improved wet physical properties when regenerated cellulose fibers are presented, such as improved wet tensile strength and wet burst. The improvement in wet physical properties does not come at the expense of dispersibility, as the products are readily dispersible and, in some instances, have improved dispersibility compared to similar products prepared entirely from conventional wood pulp fibers.

Through-air dried tissue products comprising regenerated cellulose fiber

Soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers are disclosed. The tissue products preferably comprise at least about 5 percent, by weight of the product, high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber and have relatively modest tensile strengths, such as a geometric mean tensile (GMT) greater than about 1,000 g/3&#x2033;, and improved durability and cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as a CD Stretch greater than about 10 percent. Additionally, at the foregoing tensile strengths the products are not overly stiff. For example the tissue products may have a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0.

The present invention provides a through-air dried tissue product comprising regenerated cellulose fibers that can provide 25 percent or less of the total weight of the through-air dried tissue product. The regenerated cellulose fibers can have a linear density less than about 1.5 dtex and a fiber length of less than 6.0 mm. The through-air dried tissue product can provide improvements in softness at a given strength.

Multi-ply through-air dried tissue products comprising regenerated cellulose fiber

The present invention provides mufti-layered tissue webs, and tissue product comprising the same, comprising long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers selectively deposited in one or more outer layers of the multi-layered web. Surprisingly disposing long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers in one or more outer layers, even in relatively modest amounts, may improve certain product properties, such as durability, without negatively affecting softness. In certain instances, both the softness and durability may be improved by selectively incorporating long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers in one or more of the outer layers.

Layered tissue comprising long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers

The present invention provides multi-layered tissue webs, and tissue products comprising the same, the multi-layered webs comprising wood fibers and non-wood cellulosic fibers where the non-wood cellulosic fibers are selectively deposited in one or more outer layers of the multi-layered web. Surprisingly disposing non-wood cellulosic fibers in the outer layers, even in relatively modest amounts, alters the machine and/or cross-machine direction properties of the resulting web, such that MD:CD tensile ratio may be reduced.

Layered tissue comprising non-wood fibers

Soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly high yield hesperaloe pulp fibers are disclosed. The tissue products preferably comprise at least about 5 percent, by weight of the product, high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber and have relatively modest tensile strengths, such as a geometric mean tensile (GMT) greater than about 1,000 g/&#x2033;, and improved durability and cross-machine direction (CD) properties, such as a CD Stretch greater than about 10 percent. Additionally, at the foregoing tensile strengths the products are not overly stiff. For example the tissue products may have a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0.

The present invention provides multi-layered tissue webs, and tissue product comprising the same, comprising long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers selectively deposited in one or more outer layers of the multi-layered web. Surprisingly disposing long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers in one or more outer layers, even in relatively modest amounts, may improve certain product properties, such as durability, without negatively affecting softness. In certain instances, both the softness and durability may be improved by selectively incorporating long, high-coarseness wood pulp fibers in one or more of the outer layers.

The disclosure provides a wet-pressed tissue product comprisingfiber and having improved sheet bulk and good cross-machine tensile, toughness and durability properties. Cross-machine properties are significant because tissue products often fail in the cross-machine direction because it is often the weaker of the two product orientations (cross and machine directions). Accordingly, in certain embodiments the present disclosure provides a three-layered single-ply wet-pressed tissue product comprising high-yieldfibers from the leaves of, Eucalyptus Hardwood Kraft (EHWK) fibers and Northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK), wherein the high-yieldfibers comprise at least about 5.0 percent by weight of the tissue product, the product having a CD tensile greater than about 450 g/3&#x2033; and sheet bulk greater than about 7.0 cc/g.

High bulk wet-pressed agave tissue

The invention relates to fibrous structures having desirable physical properties, such as good tensile strength, low stiffness and high bulk, manufactured using a fiber furnish comprising cellulosic fibers having a pH of 5.0 or less and at least one strength resin. Not only do structures prepared with acidic fibers have desirable physical properties, they may also be manufactured in an energy efficient manner. To achieve the greatest energy savings it is generally desirable that acidic fibers not be subjected to mechanical treatment, such as by refining, prior to forming the fiber into a fibrous structure. Further, it may be desirable to subject the remainder of the fiber furnish to a minimal degree of mechanical treatment, such as by refining, so as to produce a furnish having a freeness greater than about 550 mL.

Fibrous structures comprising acidic cellulosic fibers and methods of manufacturing the same

The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularly hesperaloe fiber. The inventors have discovered that high yield hesperaloe pulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3&#x2033; and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.

Soft tissue comprising non-wood fibers

The present invention provides soft, durable and bulky tissue products comprising non-wood fibers and more particularlyfiber. The inventors have discovered that high yieldpulp fiber, when incorporated in amounts of at least about 5 percent by weight of the tissue product, produces products having a GMT less than about 1000 g/3&#x2033; and a GM Slope less than about 7.0 kg. At the foregoing tensile strengths and modulus the tissue products of the present invention are also generally soft, such as having a Stiffness Index less than about 10.0, and more preferably less than about 9.0, such as from about 7.0 to about 9.0.

Growing community of inventors

Neenah, WI, United States of America

Richard Louis Underhill