Seamed papermaker's fabrics

摘要

An on-machine-seamable papermaker's fabric includes a base fabric having seaming loops at its widthwise edges for joining the papermaker's fabric into endless form on a paper machine. The seam formed when the seaming loops are interdigitated and joined to one another with a pintle is covered with a strip of flow-resistant material, or, where the base fabric is a laminated structure having a top layer and a bottom layer, strips of flow-resistant material are placed between the top and bottom layers adjacent to the seam. The flow-resistant material provides the seam region with permeabilities to air and water substantially identical to those of the rest of the papermaker's fabric. At least one layer of staple fiber batt is entangled through the base fabric and flow-resistant material.