Transfer system and process for making a stretchable fibrous web and

Abstract

A transfer configuration for a paper making machine, the transfer configuration being composed of: 1) a first carrier fabric having a first surface on which a fibrous web is transported to the transfer configuration at a first velocity; 2) a second carrier fabric having a second surface on which the fibrous web is transported away from the transfer configuration at a second velocity that is less than the first velocity; 3) a lengthened transfer zone that begins at a transfer shoe and terminates at a portion of a transfer head and has a machine direction oriented length ranging from about 0.75 inches to about 10 inches; 4) means for guiding the first carrier fabric and fibrous web over the transfer shoe so they converge at a first angle with the second carrier fabric, the first angle being sufficient to generate centrifugal force to aid transfer of the fibrous web and so the first and second carrier fabrics begin diverging immediately after the transfer shoe at a second angle such that the distance between the first and second carrier fabrics through the transfer zone is about equal to the thickness of the fibrous web; and 5) means for applying a gaseous pressure differential to complete the separation of the fibrous web from the first carrier fabric, so that the resulting fibrous web has greater machine direction extensibility than fibrous webs processed with the same carrier fabrics in differential speed transfer configurations without a lengthened transfer zone.