TEN-SHED SEMI-DUPLEX THROUGH-AIR DRYER FABRIC

摘要

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.

主权项

1. A woven, single layer, through-air dryer (TAD) fabric, which fabric is woven according to a repeat pattern so as to provide a fabric having first and second generally planar surfaces, a machine direction and a cross-machine direction which directions are mutually perpendicular and coplanar with the first and second surfaces, wherein in the pattern repeat, warp and weft yarns are interwoven to provide a plurality of warp and weft yarn knuckles forming the first generally planar fabric surface and, pockets defined between two adjacent pairs of warp and weft yarn knuckles, the pockets having an area that is defined by the pairs of warp and weft yarn knuckles and a depth which is recessed below the first planar surface, wherein in each repeat of the pattern:
a) the pockets are comprised of first pockets having a first open area exposed on the first fabric surface and second pockets having a second open area exposed on the first fabric surface; b) the bottom surface of each of the pockets is defined by one of the warp yarns and at least one of the weft yarns and is recessed below the generally planar first fabric surface; c) a perimeter of each of the first and second pockets is defined by two of the warp yarn knuckles and two of the weft yarn knuckles; d) each of the warp yarn knuckles is separated from an adjacent one of the warp yarn knuckles by one of the warp yarns; e) a number of the first pockets in the pattern repeat is equal to a number of the second pockets; f) the open area defined by the perimeter of the first pockets is different from the open area defined by the perimeter of the second pockets; g) the first pockets and the second pockets are both arranged in a diagonal twill pattern on the first fabric surface; h) the two warp yarn knuckles and the two weft yarn knuckles defining the perimeters of each of the first and second pockets are arranged such that:
i. the warp yarn knuckles float over from 4 to 9 of the weft yarns;ii. the weft yarn knuckles float over 3 of the warp yarns;iii. each of the warp yarn knuckles defines machine direction (MD) sides of two of the first pockets and two of the second pockets; andiv. each of the weft yarn knuckles defines cross-machine direction (CD) sides of two of the first pockets and two of the second pockets.