BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of paper manufacturing. More particularly,
the present invention relates to the manufacture of absorbent tissue products such
as bath tissue, facial tissue, napkins, towels, wipers, and the like. Specifically,
the present invention relates to improved fabrics used to manufacture absorbent tissue
products having visually discernible background texture regions bordered by curvilinear
decorative elements, methods of tissue manufacture, methods of fabric manufacture,
and the actual tissue products produced.
[0002] In the manufacture of tissue products, particularly absorbent tissue products, there
is a continuing need to improve the physical properties and final product appearance.
It is generally known in the manufacture of tissue products that there is an opportunity
to mold a partially dewatered cellulosic web on a papermaking fabric specifically
designed to enhance the finished paper product's physical properties. Such molding
can be applied by fabrics in an uncreped through air dried process as disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,672,248 issued on September 30, 1997 to Wendt et al., or in a wet pressed tissue manufacturing process as disclosed
U.S. Patent No. 4,637,859 issued on January 20, 1987 to Trokhan. Wet molding typically imparts desirable physical properties independent of whether
the tissue web is subsequently creped, or an uncreped tissue product is produced.
[0003] However, absorbent tissue products are frequently embossed in a subsequent operation
after their manufacture on the paper machine, while the dried tissue web has a low
moisture content, to impart consumer preferred visually appealing textures or decorative
lines. Thus, absorbent tissue products having both desirable physical properties and
pleasing visual appearances often require two manufacturing steps on two separate
machines. Hence, there is a need to combine the generation of visually discernable
background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements with the paper
manufacturing process to reduce manufacturing costs. There is also a need to develop
a paper manufacturing process that not only imparts visually discernable background
texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements to the sheet, but also
maximizes desirable physical properties of the absorbent tissue products without deleteriously
affecting other desirable physical properties.
[0004] Previous attempts to combine the above needs, such as those disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 4,967,805 issued on November 6, 1990 to Chiu,
U.S. Patent No. 5,328,565 issued on July 12, 1994 to Rasch et al., and in
U.S. Patent No. 5,820,730 issued on October 13, 1998 to Phan et al., have manipulated the papermaking fabric's drainage in different localized regions
to produce a pattern in the wet tissue web in the forming section of the paper machine.
Thus, the texture results from more fiber accumulation in areas of the fabric having
high drainage and fewer fibers in areas of the fabric having low drainage. Such a
method can produce a dried tissue web having a non-uniform basis weight in the localized
areas or regions arranged in a systematic manner to form the texture. While such a
method can produce textures, the sacrifice in the uniformity of the dried tissue web's
physical properties such as tear, burst, absorbency, and density can degrade the dried
tissue web's performance while in use.
[0005] For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to generate aesthetically pleasing combinations
of background texture regions and curvilinear decorative elements in the dried or
partially dried tissue web, while being manufactured on the paper machine, using a
method that produces a substantially uniform density dried tissue web which has improved
performance while in use.
[0006] Numerous woven fabric designs are known in papermaking. Examples are provided by
Sabut Adanur in Paper Machine Clothing, Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Technomic Publishing,
1997, pp. 33 - 113,139 - 148, 159 -168, and 211 - 229. Another example is provided in Patent Application
WO 00/63489, entitled "Paper Machine Clothing and Tissue Paper Produced with Same," by H. J.
Lamb, published on October 26, 2000.
SUMMARY
[0007] There is provided, according to the present invention, a woven sculpted fabric as
claimed in claim 1 and a method as claimed in claim 33.
[0008] The present invention comprises paper manufacturing processes that may satisfy one
or more of the foregoing needs. For example, a paper manufacturing fabric of the present
invention, when used as a throughdrying fabric in an uncreped tissue making process,
produces an absorbent tissue product having a substantially uniform density as well
as possessing visually discernable background texture regions bordered by curvilinear
decorative elements. The present invention is also directed towards fabrics for manufacturing
the absorbent tissue product, processes of making the absorbent tissue product, processes
of making the fabric, and the absorbent tissue products themselves.
[0009] Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a fabric
for producing an absorbent tissue product with visually discernible background texture
regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements comprising: a woven fabric having
background texture regions formed by MD warp floats alternating with MD warp sinkers
woven into a support structure (i.e., at least a single layer of CD shutes) below
the MD floats ; the warps and shutes at the borders of the background texture regions
are arrayed to form transition regions comprising the curvilinear decorative elements.
[0010] In another aspect, the preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a
method for manufacturing an absorbent tissue product with visually discernable background
texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements comprising: forming the
wet tissue web, partially dewatering the wet tissue web, rush transferring the wet
tissue web, wet molding the wet tissue web into a fabric having visually discernible
background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements, and throughdrying
the web.
[0011] The preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a tissue product with
background texture regions bordered by curvilinear decorative elements that form aesthetically
pleasing repeating patterns comprising: visually discernable background texture regions
of MD ripples, ridges, or the like, corresponding to a image of the background texture
regions of the fabric, bordered by curvilinear decorative elements, corresponding
to an image of the curvilinear transition regions of the fabric, where the curvilinear
decorative elements in the tissue web are visually distinct from the background texture
regions in the tissue.
[0012] Unlike
U.S. Patent No. 5,672,248 issued on September 30, 1997 to Wendt et al., where the warp knuckles are closely spaced or contacting and arranged into patterns,
the present invention produces the curvilinear decorative elements in the absorbent
tissue product at a substantially continuous transition region which forms borders
between background texture regions. The curvilinear decorative elements comprise geometric
configurations with the leading end of one or more raised MD floats adjacent to or
in proximity to the trailing end of another raised MD float. The decorative pattern
consists of the visually discernable background texture regions, such as corrugations,
lines, ripples, ridges, and the like, and the curvilinear decorative elements which
form transition regions between the background texture regions. It is the arrangement
of the transition regions in the present invention that provide the decorative pattern.
Because the curvilinear decorative elements are produced at the transition region
(rather than from a decorative pattern resulting from shoulder to shoulder or side
by side positioning of warp knuckles of other fabrics) the raised MD floats can be
purposely distributed more uniformly across the sheet side surface of the fabric to
improve the uniformity and CD stretch properties of the tissue web with respect to
physical properties while still imparting a distinctive texture highlighted by curvilinear
decorative elements as a decorative pattern to the tissue web. In addition, because
the
[0013] curvilinear decorative elements producing the distinctive pattern occurs at the relatively
small transition area, it is possible to weave the fabric with more intricate patterns
than possible in the fabrics disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,672,248.
[0014] The background texture regions are designed to impart preferred finished product
properties when used as an UCTAD throughdrying fabric, including roll bulk, stack
bulk, CD stretch, drape, and durability. The curvilinear decorative elements may provide
additional hinge points to enhance finished product drape. The background texture
regions in the finished product contrast visually with the curvilinear transition
regions, providing the decorative effect.
[0015] In one arrangement, not within the scope of the present invention, the curvilinear
decorative elements form woven transition regions which allow the warps to alternate
function between MD warp float and MD warp sinker. When finished so the warps are
parallel to the MD, the background texture regions across each transition region are
out of phase with each other, with the highest parts of one background texture region
corresponding to the lowest part of the other. This out of phase alternation results
in improved anti-nesting behavior, significantly improving the roll firmness-roll
bulk relationship at a given one-sheet caliper.
[0016] In some embodiments, all of the floats (or elevated regions) in a background region
are surrounded by sinkers (or depressed regions), with the possible exception of floats
adjacent to a transition region or fabric edge, and all of the sinkers (or depressed
regions) in a background region are surrounded by floats (or elevated regions), with
the possible exception of sinkers adjacent to a transition region or fabric edge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be
better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying
drawings where:
FIGURE 1A is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 1B is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 7 is a schematic diagram of a surface profile and corresponding material lines of one
embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 9 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 10 is a CADEYES display screen shot of a putty impression of a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 11 is a CADEYES display screen shot of dried tissue molded on a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 12 is a CADEYES display screen shot of dried tissue molded on a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 13 is a CADEYES display screen shot of dried tissue molded on a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 14 is a CADEYES display screen shot of dried tissue molded on a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 15 is a CADEYES display screen shot of dried tissue molded on a fabric not according
to the present invention.
FIGURE 16 is a CADEYES display screen shot of a putty impression of one embodiment of the fabric
of the present invention.
FIGURE 17 is a CADEYES display screen shot of a putty impression of one embodiment of the fabric
of the present invention.
FIGURE 18 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 19 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 20 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 21 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 22 is a schematic diagram of a fabric not according to the present invention.
FIGURE 23 is a CADEYES display screen shot of a putty impression of one embodiment of the fabric
of the present invention.
FIGURE 24 is a CADEYES display screen shot of a putty impression of one embodiment of the fabric
of the present invention.
FIGURE 25 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 26A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 26B is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 26C is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 26D is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 26E is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 27 is a schematic diagram for making an uncreped dried tissue web in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGURE 28 is a photograph of one embodiment of the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 29 is a photograph of the air side of a dried tissue web made using one embodiment of
the fabric of the present invention.
FIGURE 30 is a photograph of the fabric side of a dried tissue web made using one embodiment
of the fabric of the present invention.
DEFINITIONS
[0018] As used herein,
"curvilinear decorative element" refers to any line or visible pattern that contains either straight sections, curved
sections, or both that are substantially connected visually. Thus, a decorative pattern
of interlocking circles may be formed from many curvilinear decorative elements shaped
into circles. Similarly, a pattern of squares may be formed from many curvilinear
decorative elements shaped into individual squares. It is understood that curvilinear
decorative elements also may appear as undulating lines, substantially connected visually,
forming signatures or patterns as well as multiple warp mixed with single warp to
generate textures of more complicated patterns.
[0019] Also, as used herein
"decorative pattern" refers to any non-random repeating design, figure, or motif. It is not necessary
that the curvilinear decorative elements form recognizable shapes, and a repeating
design of the curvilinear decorative elements is considered to constitute a decorative
pattern.
[0020] As used herein, the term
"float" means an unwoven or non-interlocking portion of a warp emerging from the topmost
layer of shutes that spans at least two consecutive shutes of the topmost layer of
shutes.
[0021] As used herein, a
"sinker" means a span of a warp that is generally depressed relative to adjacent floats, further
having two end regions both of which pass under one or more consecutive shutes.
[0022] As used herein,
"machine-direction" or
"MD" refers to the direction of travel of the fabric, the fabric's individual strands,
or the paper web while moving through the paper machine. Thus, the MD test data for
the tissue refers to the tissue's physical properties in a sample cut lengthwise in
the machine-direction. Similarly,
"cross-machine direction" or
"CD" refers to a direction orthogonal to the machine-direction extending across the width
of the paper machine. Thus, the CD test data for the tissue refers to the tissue's
physical properties in a sample cut lengthwise in the cross-machine direction. In
addition, the strands may be arranged at acute angles to the MD and CD directions.
One such arrangement is described in "Rolls of Tissue Sheets Having Improved Properties",
Burazin et al., EP 1 109 969 A1 which published on June 27,2001.
[0023] As used herein,
"plane difference" refers to the z-direction height difference between an elevated region and the highest
immediately adjacent depressed region. Specifically, in a woven fabric, the plane
difference is the z-direction height difference between a float and the highest immediately
adjacent sinker or shute. Z-direction refers to the axis mutually orthogonal to the
machine direction and cross-machine direction.
[0024] As used herein,
"transfer fabric" is a fabric that is positioned between the forming section and the drying section
of the web manufacturing process.
[0025] As used herein,
"transition region" is defined as the intersection of three or more floats on three or more consecutive
MD strands. The transition regions are formed by deliberate interruptions in the textured
background regions, which may result from a variety of arrangements of intersections
of the floats. The floats may be arranged in an overlapping intersection or in a non-overlapping
intersection.
[0026] As used herein, a
"filled" transition region is defined as a transition region where the space between the floats
in the transition region is partially or completely filled with material, raising
the height in the transition area. The filling material may be porous. The filling
material may be any of the materials discussed hereinafter for use in the construction
of fabrics. The filling material may be substantially deformable, as measured by High
Pressure Compressive Compliance (defined hereinafter).
[0027] As used herein, the term
"warp" can be understood as a strand substantially oriented in the machine direction, and
"shute" can be understood to refer to the strands substantially oriented in the cross-machine
direction of the fabric as used on a papermachine. The warps and shutes may be interwoven
via any known fabric method of manufacture. In the production of endless fabrics,
the normal orientation of warps and shutes, according to common weaving terminology,
is reversed, but as used herein, the structure of the fabric and not its method of
manufacture determine which strands are classified as warps and which are shutes.
[0028] As used herein
"strand" refers a substantially continuous filament suitable for weaving sculptured fabrics
of the present invention. Strands may include any known in the prior art. Strands
may comprise monofilament, cabled monofilament, staple fiber twisted together to form
yarns, cabled yarns, or combinations thereof. Strand cross-sections, filament cross
sections, or stable fiber cross sections may be circular, elliptical, flattened, rectangular,
oval, semi-oval, trapezoidal, parallelogram, polygonal, solid, hollow, sharp edged,
rounded edged, bi-lobal, multi-lobal, or can have capillary channels. Strand diameter
or strand cross sectional shape may vary along its length.
[0029] As used herein
"multi-strand" refers to two or more strands arranged side by side or twisted together. It is not
necessary for each side-by-side strand in a multi-strand group to be woven identically.
For example, individual strands of a multi-strand warp may independently enter and
exit the topmost layer of shutes in sinker regions or transition regions. As a further
example, a single multi-strand group need not remain a single multi-strand group throughout
the length of the strands in the fabric, but it is possible for one or more strands
in a multi-strand group to depart from the remaining strand(s) over a specific distance
and serve, for example, as a float or sinker independently of the remaining strand(s).
[0030] As used herein,
"Frazier air permeability" refers to the measured value of a well-known test with the Frazier Air Permeability
Tester in which the permeability of a fabric is measured as standard cubic feet of
air flow per square foot of material per minute with an air pressure differential
of 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) of water under standard conditions. The fabrics of the present
invention can have any suitable Frazier air permeability. For example, thoughdrying
fabrics can have a permeability from about 55 standard cubic feet per square foot
per minute (about 16 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) or higher,
more specifically from about 100 standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about
30 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) to about 1,700 standard cubic
feet per square foot per minute (about 520 standard cubic meters per square meter
per minute), and most specifically from about 200 standard cubic feet per square foot
per minute (about 60 standard cubic meters per square meter per minute) to about 1,500
standard cubic feet per square foot per minute (about 460 standard cubic meters per
square meter per minute).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The Process
[0031] Referring to
FIGURE 27, a process of carrying out the present invention will be described in greater detail.
The process shown depicts an uncreped through dried process, but it will be recognized
that any known papermaking method or tissue making method can be used in conjunction
with the fabrics of the present invention. Related uncreped through air dried tissue
processes are described in
U.S. Patent No. 5,656,132 issued on August 12, 1997 to Farrington et al. and in
U.S. Patent No. 6,017,417 issued on January 25, 2000 to Wendt et al. In addition, fabrics having a sculpture layer and a load bearing layer useful for
making uncreped through air dried tissue products are disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,429,686 issued on July 4, 1995 to Chiu et al. Exemplary methods for the production of creped tissue and other paper products are
disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,855,739, issued on January 5, 1999 to Ampulski et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,897,745, issued on April 27, 1999 to Ampulski et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,893,965, issued on April 13, 1999 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,972,813 issued on October 26, 1999 to Polat et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,503,715, issued on April 2, 1996 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,935,381, issued on August 10, 1999 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,529,480, issued on July 16, 1985 to Trokhan;
U.S. Patent No. 4,514,345, issued on April 30, 1985 to Johnson et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,528,239, issued on July 9, 1985 to Trokhan;
U.S. Patent No. 5,098,522, issued on March 24, 1992 to Smurkoski et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,260,171, issued on November 9, 1993 to Smurkoski et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,275,700, issued on January 4, 1994 to Trokhan;
U.S. Patent No. 5,328,565, issued on July 12, 1994 to Rasch et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,334,289, issued on August 2, 1994 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,431,786, issued on July 11, 1995 to Rasch et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,496,624, issued on March 5, 1996 to Stelljes, Jr. et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,500,277, issued on March 19, 1996 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,514, 523, issued on May 7, 1996 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,554,467, issued on September 10, 1996, to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,566,724, issued on October 22, 1996 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,624,790, issued on April 29, 1997 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 6,010,598, issued on January 4,2000 to Boutilier et al.; and,
U.S. Patent No. 5,628,876, issued on May 13, 1997 to Ayers et al.
[0032] In
Figure 27, a twin wire former
8 having a papermaking headbox
10 injects or deposits a stream
11 of an aqueous suspension of papermaking fibers onto a plurality of forming fabrics,
such as the outer forming fabric
12 and the inner forming fabric
13, thereby forming a wet tissue web
15. The forming process of the present invention may be any conventional forming process
known in the papermaking industry. Such formation processes include, but are not limited
to, Fourdriniers, roof formers such as suction breast roll formers, and gap formers
such as twin wire formers and crescent formers.
[0033] The wet tissue web
15 forms on the inner forming fabric
13 as the inner forming fabric
13 revolves about a forming roll
14. The inner forming fabric
13 serves to support and carry the newly-formed wet tissue web
15 downstream in the process as the wet tissue web
15 is partially dewatered to a consistency of about
10 percent based on the dry weight of the fibers. Additional dewatering of the wet tissue
web
15 may be carried out by known paper making techniques, such as vacuum suction boxes,
while the inner forming fabric
13 supports the wet tissue web
15. The wet tissue web
15 may be additionally dewatered to a consistency of at least about 20%, more specifically
between about 20% to about 40%, and more specifically about 20% to about 30%. The
wet tissue web
15 is then transferred from the inner forming fabric
13 to a transfer fabric
17 traveling preferably at a slower speed than the inner forming fabric
13 in order to impart increased MD stretch into the wet tissue web
15.
[0034] The wet tissue web
15 is then transferred from the transfer fabric
17 to a throughdrying fabric
19 whereby the wet tissue web
15 preferably is macroscopically rearranged to conform to the surface of the throughdrying
fabric
19 with the aid of a vacuum transfer roll
20 or a vacuum transfer shoe like the vacuum shoe 18. If desired, the throughdrying
fabric
19 can be run at a speed slower than the speed of the transfer fabric
17 to further enhance MD stretch of the resulting absorbent tissue product
27. The transfer is preferably carried out with vacuum assistance to ensure conformation
of the wet tissue web
15 to the topography of the throughdrying fabric
19. This yields a dried tissue web
23 having the desired bulk, flexibility, CD stretch, and enhances the visual contrast
between the background texture regions
38 and
50 and the curvilinear decorative elements which border the background texture regions
38 and
50.
[0035] In one embodiment, the throughdrying fabric
19 is woven in accordance with the present invention, and it imparts the curvilinear
decorative elements and background texture regions
38 and
50, such as substantially broken-line like corduroy, to the wet tissue web
15. It is possible, however, to weave the transfer fabric
17 in accordance with the present invention to achieve similar results. Furthermore,
it is also possible to eliminate the transfer fabric
17, and transfer the wet tissue web
15 directly to the throughdrying fabric
19 of the present invention. Both alternative papermaking processes are within the scope
of the present invention, and will produce a decorative absorbent tissue product
27.
[0036] While supported by the throughdrying fabric
19, the wet tissue web
15 is dried to a final consistency of about 94 percent or greater by a throughdryer
21 and is thereafter transferred to a carrier fabric
22. Alternatively, the drying process can be any noncompressive drying method that tends
to preserve the bulk of the wet tissue web
15.
[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention, the wet tissue web
15 is pressed against a Yankee dryer by a pressure roll while supported by a woven sculpted
fabric
30 comprising visually discernable background texture regions
38 and
50 bordered by curvilinear decorative elements. Such a process, without the use of the
sculpted fabrics
30 of the present invention, is shown in
U.S. Patent No. 5,820,730 issued on October 13, 1998 to Phan et al. The compacting action of a pressure roll will tend to densify a resulting absorbent
tissue product
27 in the localized regions corresponding to the highest portions of the sculpted fabric
30.
[0038] The dried tissue web
23 is transported to a reel
24 using a carrier fabric
22 and an optional carrier fabric
25. An optional pressurized turning roll
26 can be used to facilitate transfer of the dried tissue web
23 from the carrier fabric
22 to the carrier fabric
25. If desired, the dried tissue web
23 may additionally be embossed to produce a combination of embossments and the background
texture regions and curvilinear decorative elements on the absorbent tissue product
27 produced using the throughdrying fabric
19 and a subsequent embossing stage.
[0039] Once the wet tissue web
15 has been non-compressively dried, thereby forming the dried tissue web
23, it is possible to crepe the dried tissue web
23 by transferring the dried tissue web
23 to a Yankee dryer prior to reeling, or using alternative foreshortening methods such
as microcreping as disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 4,919,877 issued on April, 24, 1990 to Parsons et al.
[0040] In an alternative embodiment not shown, the wet tissue web
15 may be transferred directly from the inner forming fabric
13 to the throughdrying fabric
19 and the transfer fabric
17 eliminated. The throughdrying fabric
19 is constructed with raised MD floats
60, and illustrative embodiments are shown in
FIGURES 1A, 1B, 2, 9, and
28. The throughdrying fabric
19 may be traveling at a speed less than the inner forming fabric
13 such that the wet tissue web
15 is rush transferred, or, in the alternative, the throughdrying fabric
19 may be traveling at substantially the same speed as the inner forming fabric
13. If the throughdrying fabric
19 is traveling at a slower speed than the speed of the inner forming fabric
13, an uncreped absorbent tissue product
27 is produced. Additional foreshortening after the drying stage may be employed to
improve the MD stretch of the absorbent tissue product
27. Methods of foreshortening the absorbent tissue product
27 include, by way of illustration and without limitation, conventional Yankee dryer
creping, microcreping, or any other method known in the art.
[0041] Differential velocity transfer from one fabric to another can follow the principles
taught in any one of the following patents:
U.S. Patent No. 5,667,636, issued on September 16, 1997 to Engel et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,830,321, issued on November 3, 1998 to Lindsay et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,440,597, issued on April 3, 1984 to Wells et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,551,199, issued on November 5, 1985 to Weldon; and,
U.S. Patent No. 4,849,054, issued on July 18, 1989 to Klowak.
[0042] In yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the inner forming
fabric
13, the transfer fabric
17, and the throughdrying fabric
19 can all be traveling at substantially the same speed. Foreshortening may be employed
to improve MD stretch of the absorbent tissue product
27. Such methods include, by way of illustration without limitation, conventional Yankee
dryer creping or microcreping.
[0043] Any known papermaking or tissue manufacturing method may be used to create a three-dimensional
web
23 using the fabrics
30 of the present invention as a substrate for imparting texture to the wet tissue web
15 or the dried tissue web
16. Though the fabrics
30 of the present invention are especially useful as through drying fabrics and can
be used with any known tissue making process that employs throughdrying, the fabrics
30 of the present invention can also be used in the formation of paper webs as forming
fabrics, transfer fabrics, carrier fabrics, drying fabrics, imprinting fabrics, and
the like in any known papermaking or tissue making process. Such methods can include
variations comprising any one or more of the following steps in any feasible combination:
- web formation in a wet end in the form of a classical Fourdrinier, a gap former, a
twin-wire former, a crescent former, or any other known former comprising any known
headbox, including a stratified headbox for bringing layers of two or more furnishes
together into a single web, or a plurality of headboxes for forming a multilayered
web, using known wires and fabrics or fabrics of the present invention;
- web formation or web dewatering by foam-based processes, such as processes wherein
the fibers are entrained or suspended in a foam prior to dewatering, or wherein foam
is applied to an embryonic web prior to dewatering or drying, including the methods
disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,178,729, issued on January 12, 1993 to Janda, and U.S. Patent No. 6,103,060, issued on August 15, 2000 to Munerelle et al.
- differential basis weight formation by draining a slurry through a forming fabric
having high and low permeability regions, including fabrics of the present invention
or any known forming fabric;
- rush transfer of a wet web from a first fabric to a second fabric moving at a slower
velocity than the first fabric, wherein the first fabric can be a forming fabric,
a transfer fabric, or a throughdrying fabric, and wherein the second fabric can be
a transfer fabric, a throughdrying fabric, a second throughdrying fabric, or a carrier
fabric disposed after a throughdrying fabric (one exemplary rush transfer process
is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,440,597 to Wells et al.), wherein the aforementioned fabrics can be selected from any known suitable fabric
including fabrics of the present invention;
- application of differential air pressure across the web to mold it into one or more
of the fabrics on which the web rests, such as using a high vacuum pressure in a vacuum
transfer roll or transfer shoe to mold a wet web into a throughdrying fabric as it
is transferred from a forming fabric or intermediate carrier fabric, wherein the carrier
fabric, throughdrying fabric, or other fabrics can be selected from the fabrics of
the present invention or other known fabrics;
- use of an air press or other gaseous dewatering methods to increase the dryness of
a web and/or to impart molding to the web, as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6096169, issued on August 1, 2000 to Hermans et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,197,154, issued on March 6, 2001 to Chen et al.; and, U.S. Patent No. 6,143,135, issued on November 7, 2000 to Hada et al.;
- drying the web by any compressive or noncompressive drying process, such as throughdrying,
drum drying, infrared drying, microwave drying, wet pressing, impulse drying (e.g.,
the methods disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,353,521, issued on October 11, 1994 to Orloff and U.S. Patent No. 5,598,642, issued on February 4, 1997 to Orloff et al.), high intensity nip dewatering, displacement dewatering (see J. D. Lindsay, "Displacement Dewatering To Maintain Bulk," Paperi Ja Puu, vol. 74,
No. 3,1992, pp. 232-242), capillary dewatering (see any of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,598,643; 5,701,682; and 5,699,626, all of which issued to Chuang et al.), steam drying, etc.
- printing, coating, spraying, or otherwise transferring a chemical agent or compound
on one or more sides of the web uniformly or heterogeneously, as in a pattern, wherein
any known agent or compound useful for a web-based product can be used (e.g., a softness
agent such as a quaternary ammonium compound, a silicone agent, an emollient, a skin-wellness
agent such as aloe vera extract, an antimicrobial agent such as citric acid, an odor-control
agent, a pH control agent, a sizing agent; a polysaccharide derivative, a wet strength
agent, a dye, a fragrance, and the like), including the methods of U.S. Patent No. 5,871,763, issued on February 16, 1999 to Luu et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,716,692, issued on February 10, 1998 to Warner et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,573,637, issued on November 12, 1996 to Ampulski et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,607,980, issued on March 4, 1997 to McAtee et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,614,293, issued on March 25, 1997 to Krzysik et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,643,588, issued on July 1, 1997 to Roe et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,650,218, issued on July 22, 1997 to Krzysik et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,990,377, issued on November 23, 1999 to Chen et al.; and, U.S. Patent No. 5,227,242, issued on July 13, 1993 to Walter et al.;
- imprinting the web on a Yankee dryer or other solid surface, wherein the web resides
on a fabric that can have deflection conduits (openings) and elevated regions (including
the fabrics of the present invention), and the fabric is pressed against a surface
such as the surface of a Yankee dryer to transfer the web from the fabric to the surface,
thereby imparting densification to portions of the web that were in contact with the
elevated regions of the fabric, whereafter the selectively densified web can be creped
from or otherwise removed from the surface;
- creping the web from a drum dryer, optionally after application of a strength agent
such as latex to one or more sides of the web, as exemplified by the methods disclosed
in U.S. Patent No. 3,879,257, issued on April 22, 1975 to Gentile et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,885,418, issued on March 23, 1999 to Anderson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 6,149,768, issued on November 21, 2000 to Hepford;
- creping with serrated crepe blades (e.g., see U.S. Patent No. 5,885,416, issued on March 23, 1999 to Marinack et al.) or any other known creping or foreshortening method; and,
- converting the web with known operations such as calendering, embossing, slitting,
printing, forming a multiply structure having two, three, four, or more plies, putting
on a roll or in a box or adapting for other dispensing means, packaging in any known
form, and the like.
[0044] The fabrics 30 of the present invention can also be used to impart texture to airlaid
webs, either serving as a substrate for forming a web, for embossing or imprinting
an airlaid web, or for thermal molding of a web.
Fabric Structure
[0045] Figure 1A is a schematic showing the relative placement of the floats
60 on the paper-contacting side of the woven sculpted fabric
30. The floats
60 consist of the elevated portions of the warps
44 (strands substantially oriented in the machine direction). Not shown for clarity
are the shutes (strands substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction) and
depressed portions of the warps
44 interwoven with the shutes, but it is understood that the warps
44 can be continuous in the machine direction, periodically rising to serve as a float
60 and then descending as one moves horizontally in the portion of the woven sculpted
fabric
30 schematically shown in
Figure 1A.
[0046] In a first background region
38 of the woven sculpted fabric
30, the floats
60 define a first elevated region
40 comprising first elevated strands
41. Between each pair of neighboring first elevated strands
41 in the first background region
38 is a first depressed region
42. The depressed warps
44 in the first depressed region
42 are not shown for clarity. The combination of machine-direction oriented, alternating
elevated and depressed regions forms a first background texture
39.
[0047] In a second background region
50 of the woven sculpted fabric
30, there are second elevated strands
53 defining a second elevated region
52. Between each pair of the neighboring second elevated strands
53 in the second background region
50 is a second depressed region
54. The depressed warps
44 in the second depressed region
54 are not shown for clarity. The combination of machine-direction oriented, alternating
second elevated and depressed regions
52 and
54 forms a second background texture
51.
[0048] Between the first background region
38 and the second background region
50 is a transition zone
62 where the floats
44 from either the first background region
38 or the second background region 50 descend to become sinkers (not shown) or depressed
regions
54 and
42 in the second background region
50 or first background region
38, respectively. In the transition region
62, ends or beginning sections of the floats
60 from different background texture regions
38 and
50 overlap, creating a texture comprising adjacent floats
60 rather than the first or second background textures
39 and
51 which have alternating floats
60 and first or second depressed regions
42 and
54, respectively. Thus, the transition region
62 provides a visually distinctive interruption to the first and second background textures
39 and
51 of the first and second background regions
38 and
50, respectively, and form a substantially continuous transition region to provide a
macroscopic, visually distinctive curvilinear decorative element that extends in directions
other than solely the machine direction orientation of the floats
60. In
Figure 1A, the transition region
62 forms a curved diamond pattern.
[0049] The overall visual effect created by a repeating unit cell comprising the curvilinear
transition region
62 of
Figure 1A is shown in
Figure 1B, which depicts several continuous transition regions
62 forming a repeating wedding ring pattern of curvilinear decorative elements.
[0050] Figure 2 depicts a portion of a woven sculpted fabric
30. In this portion, the three shutes
45a, 45b, and
45c are interwoven with the six warps
44a - 44f. A transition region
62 separates a first background region
38 from a second background region
50. The first background region
38 has first elevated strands
41a,
41b, and
41c which define the first elevated regions
40a,
40b, and
40c, and the first depressed strands
43a,
43b, and
43c which define the first depressed regions
42 (only one of which is labeled). The alternation between the first elevated regions
40a,
40b, and
40c and the first depressed regions
42 creates a first background texture
39 in the first background region
38.
[0051] Likewise, the second background region
50 has second elevated strands
53a,
53b, and
53c which define the second elevated regions
52a,
52b, and
52c, and the second depressed strands
55a,
55b, and
55c which define the second depressed regions
54 (only one of which is labeled).
[0052] The alternation of second elevated regions
52a,
52b, and
52c with the second depressed regions
54 creates a second background texture
51 in the second background region 50. The warps
44a,
44b, and
44c forming the first elevated regions
40a,
40b, and
40c in the first background region
38 become the second depressed regions
54 (second depressed strands
55a,
55b, and
55c) in the second background region
50, and visa versa.
[0053] In general, the warps
44 in either of the first and second background region
38 and
50 alternate in the cross-machine direction between being floats
60 and sinkers
61, providing a background texture
39 or
51 dominated by machine direction elongated features which become inverted (floats
60 become sinkers
61 and visa versa) after passing through the transition zone
62.
[0054] Three crossover zones
65a,
65b, and
65c occur in the transition region
62 where a first elevated strand
41a,
41b, or
41c descends below a shute
45a,
45b, or
45c in the vicinity where a second elevated strand
53a,
53b, or
53c also descends below a shute
45a,
45b, or
45c. In the crossover zone
65a, the warps
44a and
44d both descend from their status as floats
60 in the first and second background regions
38 and
50, respectively, to become sinkers
61, with the descent occurring between the shutes
45b and
45c.
[0055] The crossover zone
65c differs from the crossover zones
65a and
65b in that the two adjacent warps
44c and
44f descend on opposite sides of a single shute
45a. The tension in the warps
44c and
44f can act in the crossover zone
65c to bend the shute
45a downward more than normally encountered in the first and second background regions
38 and
50, resulting in a depression in the woven sculpted fabric 3
0 that can result in increased depth of molding in the vicinity of the crossover zone
65c. Overall, the various crossover zones
65a,
65b, and
65c in the transition region
62 provide increased molding depth in the woven sculpted fabric
30 that can impart visually distinctive curvilinear decorative elements to an absorbent
tissue product
27 molded thereon, with the visually distinct nature of the curvilinear decorative elements
being achieved by means of the interruption in the texture dominated by the MD-oriented
floats
60 between two adjacent background regions
38 and
50 and optionally by the increased molding depth in the transition region
62 due to pockets or depressions in the woven sculpted fabric
30 created by the crossover zones
65a,
65b, and
65c.
[0056] The first and second depressed strands
43 and
55 can be classified as sinkers
61, while the first and second elevated strands
41 and
53 can be classified as floats
60.
[0057] The shutes
45 depicted in
Figure 2 represent the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30, which can be part of a base layer
31 of the woven sculpted fabric
30. A base layer
31 can be a load-bearing layer. The base layer
31 can also comprise multiple groups of interwoven warps
44 and shutes
45 or nonwoven layers (not shown), metallic elements or bands, foam elements, extruded
polymeric elements, photocured resin elements, sintered particles, and the like.
[0058] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a woven sculpted fabric
30 showing a crossover region
65 similar to that of crossover region
65c in
Figure 2. Five consecutive shutes
45a -
45e and two adjacent warps
44a and
44b are shown. The two warps
44a and
44b serve as a first elevated strand
41 and second elevated strand
53, respectively, in a first background region
38 and a second background region
50, respectively, where the warps
44a and
44b are floats
60 defining a first elevated region
40 and a second elevated region
52, respectively. After passing through the transition region
62 and crossing over the shute
45c in a crossover region
65, the two warps
44a and
44b each become sinkers
61 as the two warps
44a and
44b extend into the second background region
50 and the first background region
38, respectively.
[0059] In the crossover zone
65, the two adjacent warps
44a and
44b descend on opposite sides of a single shute
45c. The tension in the warps
44c and
44f can act in the crossover zone
65 to bend the shute
45c downward relative to the neighboring shutes
45a,
45b,
45d, and
45e, and particularly relative to the adjacent shutes
45b and
45d, resulting in a depression in the woven sculpted fabric
30 having a depression depth
D relative to the maximum plane difference of the float
60 portions of the warps
44a and
44b in the adjacent first and second background regions
38 and
50, respectively, that can result in increased depth of molding in the vicinity of the
crossover zone
65.
[0060] The maximum plane difference of the floats
60 may be at least about 30% of the width of at least one of the floats
60. In other embodiments, the maximum plane difference of the floats
60 may be at least about 70%, more specifically at least about 90%. The maximum plane
difference of the floats
60 may be at least about 0.12 millimeter (mm). In other embodiments, the maximum plane
difference of the floats
60 may be at least about 0.25 mm, more specifically at least about 0.37 mm, and more
specifically at least about 0.63 mm.
[0061] Figure 4 depicts another cross-sectional view of a portion of a woven sculpted fabric
30 showing a crossover region
65. Seven consecutive shutes
45a - 45g and two adjacent warps
44a and
44b are shown.
[0062] The two warps
44a and
44b serve as a first elevated strand
41 and second elevated strand
53, respectively, in a first background region
38 and second background region
50, respectively, where the warps
44a and
44b are floats
60 defining a first elevated region
40 and second elevated region
52, respectively. The transition region
62 spans three shutes
45c,
45d and
45e. Proceeding from right to left, the first elevated strand
41 enters the transition region
62 between the shutes
45f and
45e, descending from its status as a float
60 in first background region
38 as it passes beneath the float
45e. It then passes over the shute
45d and then descends below the shute
45c, continuing on into the second background region
50 where it becomes a sinker
61. The second elevated strand
53 is a mirror image of the first elevated strand
41 (reflected about an imaginary vertical axis, not shown, passing through the center
of the shute
45d) in the portion of the woven sculpted fabric
30 depicted in
Figure 4. Thus, the second elevated strand
53 enters the transition region
62 between the shutes
45b and
45c, passes over the shute
45d, and then descends beneath the shute
45e to become a sinker
61 in the first background region
38. The first elevated strand
41 and the second elevated strand
53 cross over each other in a crossover region
65 above the shute
45d, which may be deflected downward by tension in the warps
44a and
44b.
[0063] Also depicted is the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30, which can define an upper plane
32 of the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 when the fabric
30 is resting on a substantially flat surface. Not all shutes
45 in the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 sit at the same height; the uppermost shutes
45 of the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 determine the elevation of the upper plane
32 of the topmost layer of CD shutes
33. The difference in elevation between the upper plane
32 of the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 and the highest portion of a float
60 is the "Upper Plane Difference," as used herein, which can be 30% or greater of the
diameter of the float
60, or can be about 0.1 mm or greater; about 0.2 mm or greater; or, about 0.3 mm or
greater.
[0064] Figure 5 depicts another cross-sectional view of a portion of a woven sculpted fabric
30 showing a transition region
62 with a crossover region
65; the transition region
62 being between a first background region
38 and a second background region
50. Eleven consecutive shutes
45a - 45k and two adjacent warps
44a and
44b are shown. The configuration is similar to that of
Figure 4 except that the warp
44a which forms the first elevated strand
41 is shifted to the right by about twice the typical shute spacing
S such that the warp
44a no longer passes over the same shute (
45e in
Figure 5, analogous to
45d in
Figure 4) as the warp
44b that forms the second elevated strand
53 before descending to become a sinker
61. Rather, the warp
44a is shifted such that the warp
44a passes over the shute
45g before descending to become a sinker
61. Both the warps
44a and
44b pass below the shute
45f in the crossover region 65.
[0065] Figure 6 depicts yet another cross-sectional view of a portion of a woven sculpted fabric
30 showing a transition region
62 with a crossover region
65. Seven consecutive shutes 45a -
45g and two adjacent warps
44a and
44b are shown. The crossover region
65 is similar to the crossover regions
65a and
65b of
Figure 2. Both warps
44a and
44b descend below a common shute
45d in the transition region
62, becoming the sinkers
61.
[0066] Figure 7 will be discussed hereinafter with respect to the analysis of the profile lines.
[0067] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view depicting an embodiment of a woven sculpted fabric
30. Here the two adjacent warps
44a and
44b are shown interwoven with the five consecutive shutes
45a - 45e. As the warp
44a enters the transition region
62 from the first background region
38 where the warp
44a is a float
60, the warp
44a descends below the shute
45c in the transition region
62 and then rises again as it leaves the transition region
62 to become a float
60 in the second background region
50. Likewise, the warp
44b is a sinker
61 in the second background region
50, rises in the transition region
62 to pass above the shute
45c, then descends near the end of the transition region
62 to become a sinker
61 in the first background region
38. In the transition region
62, there are two crossover regions
65 for the two adjacent warps
44a and
44b. One can recognize that the first and second background textures
39 and
51 (not shown) formed by successive pairs of warps
44 (e.g., adjacent floats
60 and sinkers
61, such as the warp
44a and the warp
44b) would be interrupted at the transition region
62, and if multiple transition regions
62 were positioned to form a substantially continuous transition region
62 across a plurality of adjacent warps
44 (e.g., 8 or more adjacent warps
44), a curvilinear decorative element could be
[0068] formed from the interruption in the background textures
39 and
51 of the background regions
38 and
50, respectively, imparting a visually distinctive texture to the wet tissue web
15 of an absorbent tissue product
27 molded on the woven sculpted fabric
30.
[0069] The sheets of the absorbent tissue products
27 (shown in
Figures 29 and
30) of the present invention have two or more distinct textures. There may be at least
one background texture
39 or
51 (also referred to as local texture) created by elevated warps
44, shutes
45, or other elevated elements in a woven sculpted fabric
30. For example, a first background region
38 of such a woven sculpted fabric
30 may have a first background texture
39 corresponding to a series of elevated and depressed regions
40 and
42 having a characteristic depth. The characteristic depth can be the elevation difference
between the elevated and depressed strands
41 and
43 that define the first background texture
39, or the elevation difference between raised elements, such as the elevated warps
44 and shutes
45, and the upper plane
32 which sits on the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30 (shown in
Figure 4). The shutes
45 can be part of a base layer
31 of the woven sculpted fabric
30, which can be a load-bearing base layer
31 (the base layer in the woven sculpted fabric
30 of
Figure 2 is depicted as the layer
31 of the shutes
45, but can comprise additional woven or interwoven layers, or can comprise nonwoven
layers or composite materials).
[0070] Figure 9 is a computer generated graphic of a woven sculpted fabric
30 depicting the shutes
45 and only the relatively elevated portions of the warps
44 on a black background for clarity. The most elevated portions of the warps
44, namely, the floats
60 that pass over two or more of the shutes
45, are depicted in white. Short intermediate knuckles
59, which are portions of the warps
44 that pass over a single shute
45, are more tightly pulled into the woven sculpted fabric
30 and protrude relatively less. To indicate the relatively lesser height of the intermediate
knuckles
59, the intermediate knuckles
59 are depicted in gray, as are the shutes
45. In the center of the graphic lies a first background region
38 having first elevated regions
40 (machine direction floats
60) separated from one another by the first depressed regions
41 comprising intermediate knuckles
59, shutes
45, and sinkers
61 (not shown). As a warp
44 having a first elevated region
40 passes through the transition region
62a and enters the second background region
50, it descends into the woven sculpted fabric
30 and at least part of the warp
44 in the second background region
50 becomes a second depressed region
53. Likewise, the warps
44 that form a second elevated region
52 in the second background region
50 become depressed after passing through the transition region
62a such that at least part of such warps
44 now form the first depressed regions
41.
[0071] A second transition region
62b is shown in
Figure 9, although in this case it is part of repeating elements substantially identical to
portions of the first transition region
62a. In other arrangements, the woven sculpted fabric
30 can have a complex pattern such that a basic repeating unit has a plurality of background
regions (e.g., three or more distinct regions) and a plurality of transition regions
62.
Tissue Description
[0072] A second background region
50 of the woven sculpted fabric
30 may have a second background texture
51 with a similar or different characteristic depth compared to the first background
texture
39 of the first background region
38. The first and second background regions
38 and
50 are separated by a transition region
62 which forms a visually noticeable border
63 between the first and second background regions
38 and
50 and which provides a surface structure molding the wet tissue web
15 to a different depth or pattern than is possible in the first and second background
regions
38 and
50. The transition region
62 created is preferably oriented at an angle to the warp or shute directions. Thus,
a wet tissue web
15 molded against the woven sculpted fabric
62 is provided with a distinctive texture corresponding to the first and/or second background
textures
39 and/or
51 and substantially continuous curvilinear decorative elements corresponding to the
transition region
62, which can stand out from the surrounding first and second background texture regions
39 and
51 of the first and second background regions
38 and
50 of the wet tissue web
15 by virtue of having a different elevation (higher or lower as well as equal) or a
visually distinctive area of interruption between the first and second background
texture regions
39 and
51 of the first and second background regions
38 and
50, respectively.
[0073] In one embodiment, the transition region
62 provides a surface structure wherein the wet tissue web
15 is molded to a greater depth than is possible in the first and second background
regions
38 and
50. Thus, a wet tissue web
15 molded against the woven sculpted fabric
30 is provided with greater indentation (higher surface depth) in the transition region
62 than in the first and second background regions
38 and
50.
[0074] In other embodiments, the transition region
62 can have a surface depth that is substantially the same as the surface depth of either
the first or second background regions
38 and
50, or that is between the surface depths of the first and second background regions
38 and
50 (an intermediate surface depth), or that is within plus or minus 50% of the average
surface depth of the first and second background regions
38 and
50, or more specifically within plus or minus 20% of the average surface depth of the
first and second background regions
38 and
50.
[0075] When the surface depth of the transition region
62 is not greater than that of the first and second background regions
38 and
50, the curvilinear decorative elements corresponding to the transition region
62 imparted to the wet tissue web
15 by molding against the transition region
62 is at least partially due to the interruption in the curvilinear decorative elements
provided by the first and second background regions
38 and
50 which creates a visible border
63 or marking extending along the transition region
62. The curvilinear decorative elements imparted to the wet tissue web
15 in the transition region
62 may simply be the result of a distinctive texture interrupting the first and second
background regions
38 and
50.
[0076] In one arrangement, the first and second background regions
38 and
50 both have substantially parallel woven first and second elevated strands
41 and
53, respectively, with a dominant direction (e.g., machine direction, cross-machine direction,
or an angle therebetween), wherein first background texture
39 in the first background region
38 is offset from the second background texture
51 in the second background region
50 such that as one moves horizontally (parallel to the plane of the woven sculpted
fabric
30) along a woven first elevated strand
41 in the first background region
38 toward the transition region
62 and continues in a straight line into the second background region
50, a second depressed region
54 rather than a second elevated strand
58 is encountered in the second background region
50.
[0077] Likewise, a first depressed region
42 that approaches the transition region
62 in the first background region
38 becomes a second elevated strand
53 in the second background region
50. When the woven sculpted fabric
30 is comprised of woven warps
44 (machine direction strands) and shutes
45 (cross-machine direction strands), the first and second elevated regions
40 and
52 are floats
60 rising above the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30 and crossing over a plurality of roughly orthogonal strands before descending into
the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30 again.
[0078] For example, a warp
44 rising above the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 of the woven sculpted fabric
30 can pass over 4 or more shutes
45 before descending into the woven sculpted fabric
30 again, such as at least any of the following number of shutes
45: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, and 30. While the warp
44 in question is above the topmost layer of CD shutes
33, the immediately adjacent warps
44 are generally lower, passing into the topmost layer of CD shutes
33. As the warp
44 in question then sinks into the topmost layer of CD shutes
33, the adjacent warps
44 rise and extend over a plurality of shutes
45. Generally, over much of the woven sculpted fabric 30, four adjacent warps
44 arbitrarily numbered in order 1, 2, 3, and 4, can have warps
44 1 and 3 rise above the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 to descend below the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 after a distance, at which point warps
44 2 and 4 are initially primarily below the surface of the warps
44 in the topmost layer of CD shutes
33 but rise in the region where warps
44 1 and 3 descend.
[0079] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second background regions
38 and
50 both have substantially parallel woven first and second elevated strands
41 and
53 with a dominant direction (e.g., machine direction, cross-machine direction, or an
angle therebetween), wherein first background texture
39 in the first background region
38 is offset from the second background texture
51 in the second background region
50 such that as one moves horizontally (parallel to the plane of the woven sculpted
fabric
30) along a woven first elevated strand
41 in the first background region
38 toward the transition region
62 and continues in a straight line into the second background region
50, a woven second elevated strand
53 rather than a second depressed region
54 is encountered in the second background region
50. Likewise, a first depressed region
42 that approaches the transition region
62 in the first background region
38 becomes a second depressed region
54 in the second background region
50.
[0080] In the transition region
62, the first group of strands
46 may overlap with a number of strands in the second group of strands
58, such as any of the following: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, two or more, two or less, and three
or less.
[0081] Each pair of first elevated floats
41 is separated by a distance of at least about 0.3 mm. In other embodiments, each pair
of first elevated floats
41 is separated by a distance ranging between about 0.3 mm to about 25 mm, more specifically
between about 0.3 mm to about 8 mm, more specifically between about 0.3 mm to about
3 mm, more specifically between about 0.3 mm to about 1 mm, more specifically between
about 0.8 mm to about 1 mm. Each pair of second elevated floats
53 is separated by a distance of at least about 0.3 mm. In other embodiments, each pair
of second elevated floats
53 is separated by a distance ranging between about 0.3 mm to about 25 mm, more specifically
between about 0.3 mm to about 8 mm, more specifically between about 0.3 mm to about
3 mm, more specifically between about 0.3 mm to about 1 mm, more specifically between
about 0.8 mm to about 1 mm.
[0082] The resulting surface topography of the dried tissue web
23 may comprise a primary pattern
64 having a regular repeating unit cell that can be a parallelogram with sides between
2 and 180 mm in length. For wetlaid materials, these three-dimensional basesheet structures
can be created by molding the wet tissue web
15 against the woven sculpted fabrics
30 of the present invention, typically with a pneumatic pressure differential, followed
by drying. In this manner, the three-dimensional structure of the dried tissue web
23 is more likely to be retained upon wetting of the dried tissue web
23, helping to provide high wet resiliency.
[0083] In addition to the regular geometrical patterns (resulting from the first and second
background texture regions
39 and
51, and the curvilinear decorative elements of the primary pattern
64, imparted by the woven sculpted fabrics
30 and other typical fabrics used in creating a dried tissue web
23, additional fine structure, with an in-plane length scale less than about 1 mm, can
be present in the dried tissue web
23. Such a fine structure may stem from microfolds created during differential velocity
transfer of the wet tissue web
15 from one fabric or wire to another fabric or wire prior to drying. Some of the absorbent
tissue products
27 of the present invention, for example, appear to have a fine structure with a fine
surface depth of 0.1 mm or greater, and sometimes 0.2 mm or greater, when height profiles
are measured using a commercial moiré interferometer system. These fine peaks have
a typical half-width less than 1 mm. The fine structure from differential velocity
transfer and other treatments may be useful in providing additional softness, flexibility,
and bulk. Measurement of the fine surface structures and the geometrical patterns
is described below.
CADEYES MEASUREMENTS
[0084] One measure of the degree of molding created in a wet tissue web
15 using the woven sculpted fabrics
30 of the present invention involves the concept of optically measured surface depth.
As used herein, "surface depth" refers to the characteristic height of peaks relative
to surrounding valleys in a portion of a structure such as a wet tissue web
15 or putty impression of a woven sculpted fabric
30. In many embodiments of the present invention, topographical measurements along a
particular line will reveal many valleys having a relatively uniform elevation, with
peaks of different heights corresponding to the first and second background texture
regions
39 and
51 and a more prominent primary pattern
64. The characteristic elevation relative to a baseline defined by surrounding valleys
is the surface depth of a particular portion of the structure being measured. For
example, the surface depth of a first or second background texture regions
39 or
51 of a wet tissue web
15 may be 0.4 mm or less, while the surface depth of the primary pattern
66 may be 0.5 mm or greater, allowing the primary pattern
64 to stand out from the first or second background texture regions
39 or
51.
[0085] The wet tissue webs
15 created in the present invention possess three-dimensional structures and can have
a Surface Depth for the first or second background texture regions
39 or
51 and/or primary pattern
64 of about 0.15 mm. or greater, more specifically about 0.3 mm. or greater, still more
specifically about 0.4 mm. or greater, still more specifically about 0.5 mm. or greater,
and most specifically from about 0.4 to about 0.8 mm. The primary pattern
64 may have a surface depth that is greater than the surface depth of the first or second
background texture regions
39 or
51 by at least about 10%, more specifically at least about 25%, more specifically still
at least about 50%, and most specifically at least about 80%, with an exemplary range
of from about 30% to about 100%. Obviously, elevated molded structures on one side
of a wet tissue web
15 can correspond to depressed molded structures on the opposite of the wet tissue web
15. The side of the wet tissue web
15 giving the highest Surface Depth for the primary pattern
64 generally is the side that should be measured.
[0086] A suitable method for measurement of Surface Depth is moiré interferometry, which
permits accurate measurement without deformation of the surface of the wet tissue
webs
15. For reference to the wet tissue webs
15 of the present invention, the surface topography of the wet tissue webs
15 should be measured using a computer-controlled white-light field-shifted moiré interferometer
with about a 38 mm field of view. The principles of a useful implementation of such
a system are described in Bieman et al. (
L. Bieman, K. Harding, and A. Boehnlein, "Absolute Measurement Using Field-Shifted
Moiré," SPIE Optical Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1614, pp. 259-264, 1991). A suitable commercial instrument for moiré interferometry is the CADEYES® interferometer
produced by Integral Vision (Farmington Hills, Michigan), constructed for a 38-mm
field-of-view (a field of view within the range of 37 to 39.5 mm is adequate). The
CADEYES® system uses white light which is projected through a grid to project fine
black lines onto the sample surface. The surface is viewed through a similar grid,
creating moiré fringes that are viewed by a CCD camera. Suitable lenses and a stepper
motor adjust the optical configuration for field shifting (a technique described below).
A video processor sends captured fringe images to a PC computer for processing, allowing
details of surface height to be back-calculated from the fringe patterns viewed by
the video camera.
[0087] In the CADEYES moiré interferometry system, each pixel in the CCD video image is
said to belong to a moiré fringe that is associated with a particular height range.
The method of field-shifting, as described by Bieman et al. (
L. Bieman, K. Harding, and A. Boehnlein, "Absolute Measurement Using Field-Shifted
Moiré," SPIE Optical Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1614, pp. 259-264,1991) and as originally patented by Boehnlein (
U.S. Patent No. 5,069,548), is used to identify the fringe number for each point in the video image (indicating
which fringe a point belongs). The fringe number is needed to determine the absolute
height at the measurement point relative to a reference plane. A field-shifting technique
(sometimes termed phase-shifting in the art) is also used for sub-fringe analysis
(accurate determination of the height of the measurement point within the height range
occupied by its fringe). These field-shifting methods coupled with a camera-based
interferometry approach allows accurate and rapid absolute height measurement, permitting
measurement to be made in spite of possible height discontinuities in the surface.
The technique allows absolute height of each of the roughly 250,000 discrete points
(pixels) on the sample surface to be obtained, if suitable optics, video hardware,
data acquisition equipment, and software are used that incorporates the principles
of moiré interferometry with field-shifting. Each point measured has a resolution
of approximately 1.5 microns in its height measurement.
[0088] The computerized interferometer system is used to acquire topographical data and
then to generate a grayscale image of the topographical data, said image to be hereinafter
called "the height map". The height map is displayed on a computer monitor, typically
in 256 shades of gray and is quantitatively based on the topographical data obtained
for the sample being measured. The resulting height map for the 38-mm square measurement
area should contain approximately 250,000 data points corresponding to approximately
500 pixels in both the horizontal and vertical directions of the displayed height
map. The pixel dimensions of the height map are based on a 512 x 512 CCD camera which
provides images of moiré patterns on the sample which can be analyzed by computer
software. Each pixel in the height map represents a height measurement at the corresponding
x- and y-location on the sample. In the recommended system, each pixel has a width
of approximately 70 microns, i.e. represents a region on the sample surface about
70 microns long in both orthogonal in-plane directions). This level of resolution
prevents single fibers projecting above the surface from having a significant effect
on the surface height measurement. The z-direction height measurement must have a
nominal accuracy of less than 2 microns and a z-direction range of at least 1.5 mm.
(For further background on the measurement method, see the
CADEYES Product Guide, Integral Vision, Farmington Hills, MI, 1994, or other
CADEYES manuals and publications of Integral Vision, formerly known as Medar, Inc.).
[0089] The CADEYES system can measure up to 8 moiré fringes, with each fringe being divided
into 256 depth counts (sub-fringe height increments, the smallest resolvable height
difference). There will be 2048 height counts over the measurement range. This determines
the total z-direction range, which is approximately 3 mm in the 38-mm field-of-view
instrument. If the height variation in the field of view covers more than eight fringes,
a wrap-around effect occurs, in which the ninth fringe is labeled as if it were the
first fringe and the tenth fringe is labeled as the second, etc. In other words, the
measured height will be shifted by 2048 depth counts. Accurate measurement is limited
to the main field of 8 fringes.
[0090] The moiré interferometer system, once installed and factory calibrated to provide
the accuracy and z-direction range stated above, can provide accurate topographical
data for materials such as paper towels. (Those skilled in the art may confirm the
accuracy of factory calibration by performing measurements on surfaces with known
dimensions). Tests are performed in a room under Tappi conditions (23°C, 50% relative
humidity). The sample must be placed flat on a surface lying aligned or nearly aligned
with the measurement plane of the instrument and should be at such a height that both
the lowest and highest regions of interest are within the measurement region of the
instrument.
[0091] Once properly placed, data acquisition is initiated using Integral Visions's PC software
and a height map of 250,000 data points is acquired and displayed, typically within
30 seconds from the time data acquisition was initiated. (Using the CADEYES® system,
the "contrast threshold level" for noise rejection is set to 1, providing some noise
rejection without excessive rejection of data points). Data reduction and display
are achieved using CADEYES® software for PCs, which incorporates a customizable interface
based on Microsoft Visual Basic Professional for Windows (version 3.0). The Visual
Basic interface allows users to add custom analysis tools.
[0092] The height map of the topographical data can then be used by those skilled in the
art to identify characteristic unit cell structures (in the case of structures created
by fabric patterns; these are typically parallelograms arranged like tiles to cover
a larger two-dimensional area) and to measure the typical peak to valley depth of
such structures. A simple method of doing this is to extract two-dimensional height
profiles from lines drawn on the topographical height map which pass through the highest
and lowest areas of the unit cells. These height profiles can then be analyzed for
the peak to valley distance, if the profiles are taken from a sheet or portion of
the sheet that was lying relatively flat when measured. To eliminate the effect of
occasional optical noise and possible outliers, the highest 10% and the lowest 10%
of the profile should be excluded, and the height range of the remaining points is
taken as the surface depth. Technically, the procedure requires calculating the variable
which we term "P10," defined at the height difference between the 10% and 90% material
lines, with the concept of material lines being well known in the art, as explained
by
L. Mummery, in Surface Texture Analysis: The Handbook, Hommelwerke GmbH, Mühlhausen,
Germany, 1990. In this approach, which will be illustrated with respect to
FIGURE 7, the surface
70 is viewed as a transition from air
71 to material
72. For a given profile
73, taken from a flat-lying sheet, the greatest height at which the surface begins -
the height of the highest peak - is the elevation of the "0% reference line"
74 or the "0% material line," meaning that 0% of the length of the horizontal line at
that height is occupied by material
72. Along the horizontal line passing through the lowest point of the profile
73, 100% of the line is occupied by material
72, making that line the "100% material line"
75. In between the 0% and 100% material lines
74 and
75 (between the maximum and minimum points of the profile), the fraction of horizontal
line length occupied by material
72 will increase monotonically as the line elevation is decreased. The material ratio
curve
76 gives the relationship between material fraction along a horizontal line passing
through the profile
73 and the height of the line. The material ratio curve
76 is also the cumulative height distribution of a profile
73. (A more accurate term might be "material fraction curve").
[0093] Once the material ratio curve
76 is established, one can use it to define a characteristic peak height of the profile
73. The P10 "typical peak-to-valley height" parameter is defined as the difference
77 between the heights of the 10% material line
78 and the 90% material line
79. This parameter is relatively robust in that outliers or unusual excursions from the
typical profile structure have little influence on the P10 height. The units of P10
are mm. The Overall Surface Depth of a material
72 is reported as the P10 surface depth value for profile lines encompassing the height
extremes of the typical unit cell of that surface
70. "Fine surface depth" is the P10 value for a profile
73 taken along a plateau region of the surface
70 which is relatively uniform in height relative to profiles
73 encompassing a maxima and minima of the unit cells. Unless otherwise specified, measurements
are reported for the surface
70 that is the most textured side of the wet tissue webs
15 of the present invention, which is typically the side that was in contact with the
through-drying fabric
19 when air flow is toward the throughdryer
21.
Detailed Description of Figures
[0094] FIGURE 10 shows a screen shot
66 of the CADEYES® software main window containing a height map
80 of a putty impression of the woven sculpted fabric
30. The height map
80 was created with a 35-mm field of view optical head with the CADEYES® moiré interferometry
system. The putty impression was made using 65 grams of coral-colored Dow Coming 3179
Dilatant Compound (believed to be the original "Silly Putty®" material) in a conditioned
room at 23°C and 50% relative humidity. The Dilatant Compound was rendered more opaque
for better results with moiré interferometry by the addition of 0.8 g of white solids
applied by painting white Pentel® (Torrance, CA) Correction Pen fluid (purchased 1997)
on portions of the putty, allowing the fluid to dry, and then blending the painted
portions to uniformly disperse the white solids (believed to be primarily titanium
dioxide) throughout the putty. This action was repeated approximately a dozen times
until a mass increase of 0.8 grams was obtained. The putty was rolled into a flat,
smooth 9-cm wide disk, about 0.7 cm thick, which was placed over the woven sculpted
fabric
30. A stiff, clear plastic block with dimensions 22 cm x 9 cm x 1.3 cm, having a mass
of 408 g, was centered over the putty disk and a 3.73 kg brass cylinder of 6.3-cm
diameter was placed on the plastic block, also centered over the putty disk, and allowed
to reside on the block for 8 seconds to drive the putty into the woven sculpted fabric
30. After 8 seconds, the brass cylinder and plastic block were removed, and the putty
was gently lifted from the woven sculpted fabric
30. The molded side of the putty was turned face up and placed under a 35-mm field-of-view
optical head of the CADEYES® device for measurement.
[0095] In the height map
80 in
FIGURE 10, the horizontal bands of dark and light areas correspond to elevated and depressed
regions. In a first background region
38', there are first elevated regions
40' and first depressed regions
42' created by molding against the first depressed regions
42 and the first elevated regions
40, respectively, in a first background region
38 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). In a second background region
50', there are second elevated regions
52' and second depressed regions
54' corresponding to the second depressed regions
52 and the second elevated regions
54 in a second background region
50 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). Between the first background region
38' and the second background region
50' is a transition region
62' which is elevated, corresponding to a depressed transition region
62 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). The elevated curvilinear decorative elements forming a transition region
62' on the molded surface define a repeating elevated primary pattern
64 in which the repeating unit can be described as a diamond with concave sides. The
junctions of the opposing MD strands in the transition region
62 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown) form pockets or segments of different plane height which visually connect
to form curvilinear decorative elements making aesthetically pleasing design highlights
in materials molded thereon.
[0096] The height map
80 contains some optical noise distorting the image along the left border of the height
map
80, and occasional spikes from optical noise in other portions of the image. Nevertheless,
the structure of the putty impression is clearly discernible. The profile display
81 below the height map
80 shows the topography in the form of a profile
82 taken along a vertical profile line
87. The topographical features of the profile
82 include peaks and valleys corresponding to first and second elevated regions
40' and
52' (the peaks) and first and second depressed regions
42' and
54' (the valleys), respectively, and the elevated transition regions
62' that form the repeating curvilinear primary pattern
64.
[0097] FIGURE 11 shows a screen shot
66 of the CADEYES® software main window containing a height map
80 of a dried tissue web
23 molded on a woven sculpted fabric
30, using a process substantially the same as the one described in the
Example. The height map
80 is for a zoomed-in region covering a single unit cell of the curvilinear primary
pattern
64. The face-up side of the dried tissue web
23 - i.e., the surface being measured - is the side that was remote from the woven sculpted
fabric
30 during through air drying, termed the "air side" of the dried tissue web
23, as opposed to the opposing "fabric side" (not shown) that was in contact with the
woven sculpted fabric
30 during through drying. Here, through drying on the woven sculpted fabric
30 imparted a molded texture that resembles the inverse of the texture in
FIGURE 10. Thus, in the first background region
38', there are first elevated regions 40' and first depressed regions
42' created by molding of the fabric side of the tissue against first elevated regions
40 and first depressed regions
42, respectively, in a first background region
38 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). In the second background region
50', there are second elevated regions
52' and second depressed regions
54' corresponding to second elevated regions
52 and second depressed regions
54 in a second background region
50 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). Between the first background region
38' and the second background region
50' is a transition region
62' which is depressed on the side of the dried tissue web
23 measured (the air side), but elevated on the opposing side (the fabric side), corresponding
to a depressed transition region
62 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown). The depressed curvilinear decorative elements forming the transition
region
62' on the molded surface of the dried tissue web
23 define a repeating elevated primary pattern
64 in which the repeating unit can be described as a diamond with concave sides. The
junctions of the opposing MD strands in the transition region
62 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (not shown) form pockets or segments of different plane height which visually connect
to form curvilinear decorative elements making aesthetically pleasing design highlights
in materials molded thereon. Thus, the depressed transition regions
62' form a repeating curvilinear primary pattern
64.
[0098] The profile
82 along a vertical profile line
87 on the height map
80 is shown in the profile display 81 below the height map
80, in which two depressed transition regions
62' can be seen in the midst of the otherwise regular peaks and valleys, wherein the
peaks correspond to first and second elevated regions
40' and
52', respectively, and the valleys correspond to first and second depressed regions
42' and
54', respectively.
[0099] FIGURE 12 depicts a section of the height map
80 of
FIGURE 10 further displaying a profile
82 along a vertical profile line
87 on the height map
80. The profile
82 shown in a vertically oriented profile display
81 comprises peaks and valleys, wherein the peaks correspond to first and second elevated
regions
40' and
52', respectively, and the valleys correspond to first and second depressed regions
42' and
54', respectively, with transition regions
62' also visible as relatively elevated features. A characteristic height of the peaks
away from the transition regions
62' is about 0.54 mm, while the transition regions
62' display higher and broader peaks, with heights of about 0.75 mm.
[0100] FIGURE 13 shows a section of a height map
80 for the dried tissue web
23 throughdried on the woven sculpted fabric
30 used in
FIGURE 10, but with the sculpted fabric face up of the dried tissue web
23 (the side that was in contact with the woven sculpted fabric
30 during through drying). The profile display
81 shows a profile
82 measured along the vertical profile line
87 drawn across the height map
80 corresponding to the cross-machine direction of the tissue web
23. The profile
82 has peaks corresponding to first and second elevated regions
40' and
52', respectively, and the valleys corresponding to first and second depressed regions
42' and
54', respectively, with transition regions
62' also visible as relatively elevated features. The profile
82 shows that the broad peaks in the transition region
62' have a greater height than the peaks away from the transition region
62'. Relative to the valleys (the first depressed regions
42') in the first background region
38, the peaks of the transition region
62' show a height of about 0.55 mm. In the first background region
38', the peaks (the first elevated regions
40') have about half the height of the transition region
62' (e.g., a height of about 0.25 mm).
[0101] FIGURE 14 shows a portion of the height map
80 of
FIGURE 11 with an accompanying profile display
81 showing a profile
82 taken along the horizontal (machine direction) profile line
87 drawn on the height map
80. The profile
82 extends along the second elevated regions
52' outside of the first background region
38' and along the first depressed region
42' within the first background region
38'. A height difference
Z of about 0.5 mm is spanned from the higher portion of the second elevated region
52' to the depressed transition region
62'.
[0102] FIGURE 15 is similar to
FIGURE 14 except that a different profile line
87 is used, resulting in a different displayed profile
82 in the profile display
81. The profile line
87 runs substantially in the machine direction, passing along a first depressed region
42' in the first background region
38', then passing through a transition region
62' and then along a second elevated region
52' in the second background region
50'. A vertical height difference
Z of about 0.42 mm is spanned from the second elevated region
52' to the first depressed region
42'. The transition region
62 is about 0.2 mm lower than the first depressed region
42' on this view of the fabric side of a molded dried tissue web
23 that has been throughdried on a woven sculpted fabric
30 according to the present invention.
[0103] FIGURE 16 shows a height map
80 of a putty impression of another woven sculpted fabric
30 made in accordance to the present invention, with a profile display
81 showing a profile
82 measured along a profile line
87 that spans a first background region
38' and a second background region
50' with a transition region
62' therebetween. Based on the profile
82, the transition region
62' differs from the first elevated region
40' by over than 0.4 mm, and differs from the second depressed region
54' by over 0.8 mm (the height
Z). Here the transition region
62' forms a curvilinear decorative element with arcuate sides that entirely bound a closed
area, though a portion of the closed area is not shown. Such closed areas can have
a maximum diameter (maximum length of a line that can fit within the closed boundary
while in the plane of the woven sculpted fabric
30) of any of the following: 5 mm or greater; 10 mm or greater; 25 mm or greater; 50
mm or greater; and, 180 mm or greater, with an exemplary range of from about 8 mm
to about 75 mm.
[0104] FIGURE 17 shows a height map
80 of a putty impression of yet another woven sculpted fabric
30 made in accordance to the present invention, wherein the transition regions
62' form parallel lines at an angle relative to the substantially unidirectional warps
44 of the woven sculpted fabric
30. In the profile display
81, a profile
82 is shown corresponding to the surface height along the profile line
87 is substantially oriented in the cross-machine direction. The profile line
87 passes over second elevated regions
52' and second depressed regions
54' in the second background region
50', then passes across a transition region
62' and then over first elevated regions
40' and second depressed regions
42'. Here each transition region
62' is substantially straight and forms a long line parallel to other transition regions
62'. In general, when a transition region
62' defines a line, the line can be at any angle to the machine direction (direction
of the warps
44), such as an absolute angle of 20 degrees or more, more specifically from about 20
degrees to less than 90 degrees, most specifically from about 30 degree to about 65
degrees. The height difference Z between the most elevated portion of the transition
region
62' along the profile
82 and the first depressed region of the first background region
38 is about 0.6 mm.
[0105] FIGURE 18 shows a schematic of a composite sculpted fabric
100 comprising a base fabric
102 with raised elements
108 attached thereon. The raised elements
108 as shown are aligned substantially in the machine direction
120 (orthogonal to the cross-machine direction
118) in the portion of the composite sculpted fabric
100 shown, though the raised elements
108 could be oriented in any direction and could be oriented in a plurality of directions.
The raised elements
108 as depicted have a height
H, a length
L, and a width
W. The height
H can be greater than about 0.1 mm, such as from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm, more specifically
from about 0.3 mm to about 1.5 mm, and most specifically from about 0.3 mm to about
0.7 mm. The length L can be greater than 2 mm, such as about 3 mm or greater, or from
about 4 mm to about 25 mm. The width
W can be greater than about 0.1 mm such as from about 0.2 mm to about 2 mm, more specifically
from about 0.3 mm to about 1 mm.
[0106] In a first background region
38, the machine-direction oriented, elongated raised elements
108 act as floats
60 that serve as first elevated regions
40, with first depressed regions
42 therebetween that reside substantially on the underlying base fabric
102, which can be a woven fabric. In a second background region
50, the raised elements
108 act as floats
60 that serve as second elevated regions
52, with second depressed regions
54 therebetween that reside substantially on the underlying base fabric
102.
[0107] A transition region
62 is formed when a first elevated region
40 from a first background region
38 of the composite sculpted fabric
100 has an end
122 in the vicinity of the beginning
124 of two adjacent second elevated regions
52 in a second background region
50 of the composite sculpted fabric
100, with the end
122 disposed in the cross-machine direction
118 at a position intermediate to the respective cross-machine direction locations of
the two adjacent second elevated regions
52, wherein the end
122 of raised elements
108 (either a first elevated region
40 or second elevated region
52) refers to the termination of the raised element
108 encountered while moving along the composite sculpted fabric
100 in the machine direction
120, and the beginning
124 of a raised element
108 refers to the initial portion of the raised element
108 encountered while moving along the composite sculpted fabric
100 in the same direction. Were the raised elements
108 oriented in another direction, the direction of orientation for each raised element
108 is the direction one moves along in identifying ends
122 and beginnings
124 of raised elements
108 in order to identify their relationship in a consistent manner. Generally, features
of the raised elements
108 can be successfully identified when either of the two possible directions (forward
and reverse, for example) along the raised element
108 is defined as the positive direction for travel.
[0108] The transition region
62 separates the first. and second background regions
38 and
50. The shifting of the cross-machine directional locations of the raised elements
108 in the transition region
62 creates a break in the patterns of the first and second background regions
38 and
50, contributing to the visual distinctiveness of the portion of the wet tissue web
15 molded against the transition region
62 of the composite sculpted fabric
100 relative to the portion of the wet tissue web
15 molded against the surrounding first and second background regions
38 and
50. In
FIGURE 18, the transition region
62 is also characterized by a gap width
G which is the distance in the machine direction
120 (or, more generally, whatever direction the raised elements
108 are predominantly oriented in) between an end
122 of a raised element
108 in the first background region
38 and the nearest beginning
124 of a raised element
108 in the second background region
50. The gap width
G can vary in the transition region
62 or can be substantially constant. For positive gap widths
G such as is shown in
FIGURE 18, G can vary, by way of example, from about 0 to about 20 mm, such as from about 0.5
mm to about 8 mm, or from about 1 mm to about 3 mm.
[0109] A base fabric
102 can be woven or nonwoven, or a composite of woven and nonwoven elements or layers.
The base fabric
102 depicted in
Figure 18 is woven, with the shutes
45 extending in the cross-machine direction
118 and the warps
44 in the machine direction
120. The base fabric
102 can be woven according to any pattern known in the art and can comprise any materials
known in the art. As with any woven strands for any fabrics of the present invention,
the strands need not be circular in cross-section but can be elliptical, flattened,
rectangular, cabled, oval, semi-oval, rectangular with rounded edges, trapezoidal,
parallelograms, bi-lobal, multi-lobal, or can have capillary channels. The cross sectional
shapes may vary along a raised element
108; multiple raised elements with differing cross sectional shapes may be used on the
composite sculpted fabric
100 as desired. Hollow filaments can also be used.
[0110] The raised elements
108 can be integral with the base fabric
102. For example, a composite sculpted fabric
100 can be formed by photocuring of elevated resinous elements which encompass portions
of the warps
44 and shutes
45 of the base fabric
102. Photocuring methods can include UV curing, visible light curing, electron beam curing,
gamma radiation curing, radiofrequency curing, microwave curing, infrared curing,
or other known curing methods involving application of radiation to cure a resin.
Curing can also occur via chemical reaction without the need for added radiation as
in the curing of an epoxy resin, extrusion of an autocuring polymer such as polyurethane
mixture, thermal curing, solidifying of an applied hotmelt or molten thermoplastic,
sintering of a powder in place on a fabric, and application of material to the base
fabric
102 in a pattern by known rapid prototyping methods or methods of sculpting a fabric.
Photocured resin and other polymeric forms of the raised elements
108 can be attached to a base fabric
102 according to the methods in any of the following patents:
U.S. Patent No. 5,679,222, issued on October 21,1997 to Rasch et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,514,345, issued on April 30,1985 to Johnson et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 5,334,289, issued on August 2,1994 to Trokhan et al.;
U.S. Patent No. 4,528,239, issued on July 9, 1985 to Trokhan;
U.S. Patent No. 4,637,859, issued on January 20,1987 to Trokhan; commonly owned
U.S. Patent No. 6,120,642, issued on September 19, 2000 to Lindsay and Burazin; and, commonly owned patent applications Serial Nos.
09/705,684 and
09/706,149, both filed on November 3, 2000 by Lindsay et al.
[0111] U.S. Patent No. 6,120,642, issued on September 19, 2000 to Lindsay and Burazin, discloses methods of producing sculpted nonwoven throughdrying fabrics, and such
methods can be applied in general to create composite sculpted fabrics
100 of the present invention. In one embodiment, such composite sculpted fabrics
100 comprise an upper porous nonwoven member and an underlying porous member supporting
the upper porous member, wherein the upper porous nonwoven member comprises a nonwoven
material (e.g., a fibrous nonwoven, an extruded polymeric network, or a foam-based
material) that is substantially deformable. More specifically, the can have a High
Pressure Compressive Compliance (hereinafter defined) greater than 0.05, more specifically
greater than 0.1, and wherein the permeability of the wet molding substrate is sufficient
to permit an air pressure differential across the wet molding substrate to effectively
mold said web onto said upper porous nonwoven member to impart a three-dimensional
structure to said web.
[0112] As used herein, "High Pressure Compressive Compliance" is a measure of the deformability
of a substantially planar sample of the material having a basis weight above 50 gsm
compressed by a weighted platen of 3-inches in diameter to impart mechanical loads
of 0.2 psi and then 2.0 psi, measuring the thickness of the sample while under such
compressive loads. Subtracting the ratio of thickness at 2.0 psi to thickness at 0.2
psi from 1 yields the High Pressure Compressive Compliance. In other word, High Pressure
Compressive Compliance = 1 - (thickness at 2.0 psi/thickness at 0.2 psi). The High
Pressure Compressive Compliance can be greater than about 0.05, specifically greater
than about 0.15, more specifically greater than about 0.25, still more specifically
greater than about 0.35, and most specifically between about 0.1 and about 0.5. In
another embodiment, the High Pressure Compressive Compliance can be less than about
0.05, in cases where a less deformable composite sculpted fabric
100 is desired.
[0113] Other known methods can be used to created the composite sculpted fabrics 100 of
the present invention, including laser drilling of a polymeric web to impart elevated
and depressed regions, ablation, extrusion molding or other molding operations to
impart a three-dimensional structure to a nonwoven material, stamping, and the like,
as disclosed in commonly owned patent applications Serial Nos.
09/705,684 and
09/706,149, both filed on November 3, 2000 by Lindsay et al.
[0114] FIGURE 19 depicts another composite sculpted fabric
100 comprising a base fabric
102 with raised elements
108 attached thereon, similar to that of
FIGURE 18 but with raised elements
108 that taper to a low height
H2 relative to the minimum height
H1 of the raised element
108. H1 can be from about 0.1 mm to about 6 mm, such as from about 0.2 mm to about 5 mm,
more specifically from about 0.25 mm to about 3 mm, and most specifically from about
0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm. The ratio of
H2 to
H1 can be from about 0.01 to about 0.99, such as from about 0.1 to about 0.9, more specifically
from about 0.2 to about 0.8, more specifically still from about 0.3 to about 0.7,
and most specifically from about 0.3 to about 0.5. The ratio of
H2 to
H1 can also be less than about 0.7, about 0.5, about 0.4, or about 0.3. Further, the
gap width
G, the distance between the beginning
124 and ends
122 of nearby raised elements
108 from adjacent first and second background regions
38 and
50, is now negative, meaning that the end
122 of one raised element
108 (a first elevated region
40) in the first background region
38 extends in machine direction
120 past the beginning
124 of the nearest raised element
108 (a second elevated region
52) in the second background region
50 such that raised elements
108 overlap in the transition region
62. Two gap widths
G are shown: G
1 and
G2 at differing locations in the composite sculpted fabric
100. Here the gap width
G has nonpositive values, such as from about 0 to about -10 mm, or from about -0.5
mm to about -4 mm, or from about -0. 5 mm to about -2 mm. However, a given composite
sculpted fabric
100 may have portions of the transition region
62 that have both nonnegative and nonpositive (or positive and negative) values of
G.
[0115] It is recognized that other topographical elements may be present on the surface
of the composite sculpted fabric
100 as long as the ability of the raised elements
108 and the transition region
62 to create a visually distinctive molded wet tissue web
15 is not compromised. For example, the composite sculpted fabric
100 could further comprise a plurality of minor raised elements (not shown) such as ovals
or lines having a height less than, for example, about 50% of the minimum height
H1 of the raised elements
108.
[0116] FIGURES 20 - 22 are schematic diagram views of the raised elements
108 in a composite sculpted fabric
100 depicting alternate forms of the raised elements
108. In each case, a set of first raised elements
108' in a first background region
38 interacts with a set of second raised elements
108" in a second background region
128 to define a transition region
62 between the first and second background regions
38 and
50, wherein both the discontinuity or shift in the pattern across the transition region
62 as well as an optional change in surface topography along the transition region
62 contribute to a distinctive visual appearance in the wet tissue web
15 molded against the composite sculpted fabric
100, wherein the loci of transition regions
62 define a visible pattern in the molded wet tissue web
15 (not shown). In
FIGURE 20, the first and second raised elements
108' and
108" overlap slightly and define a nonlinear transition region
62 (i.e., there is a slight curve to it as depicted). Further, parallel, adjacent raised
elements
108 in either a first or second background region
38 or
50, are spaced apart in the cross-machine direction
118 by a distance
S slightly greater than the width
W of a first or second raised element
108' or
108" (e.g., the cross-machine direction spacing from centerline to centerline of the first
and second raised elements
108' and
108" divided by the width
W of the first and second raised elements
108' and
108" can be greater than about 1, such as from about 1.2 to about 5, or from about 1.3
to about 4, or from about 1.5 to about 3. In
FIGURE 21, the spacing
S is nearly the same as the width
W (e.g., the ratio S/W can be less than about 1.2, such as about 1.1 or less or about
1.05 or less). Further, the overlapping first and second raised elements
108' and
108" in the transition region
62 results in a gap width of about -2W or less (meaning that the ends
122 and beginnings
124 of the first and second raised elements
108' and
108" overlap by a distance of about twice or more the width
W of the first and second raised elements
108' and
108"). In
FIGURE 22, the tapered raised elements
108 are depicted which are otherwise similar to the raised elements
108 as shown in
FIGURE 20.
[0117] It will be recognized that the shapes and dimensions of the raised elements
108 need not be similar throughout the composite sculpted fabric
100, but can differ from any of the first and second background region
38 or
50 to another or even within a first or second background region
38 or
50. Thus, there may be a first background region 38 comprising cured resin first raised
elements 108' having a shape and dimensions (
W,
L,
H, and
S, for example) different from those of the second raised elements
108" of the second background region
50.
[0118] The raised elements
108 need not be straight, as generally depicted in the previous figures, but may be curvilinear.
[0119] In
Figures 23 and
24, a portion of the CADEYES height map
80 referred to in
Figure 17 was used to identify the approximate contour of elevated portions of the transition
region
62'. The original portion of the height map
80 is shown in
Figure 23. The modified version is shown in
Figure 24. The modified version was created by importing the original into the PhotoPlus 7®
graphics program for the PC by Serif, Inc. (Hudson, New Hampshire). The image was
treated with the "Stretch" command to distribute the color histogram levels more fully
across the spectrum. Then the most elevated portion of the transition region
62' in the lower half of the image was selected by clicking with the color selection
tool set to a tolerance value of
12. The selected region of the transition region
62' was then filled with white. The same procedure was applied to the transition region
62' in the upper left hand corner of the image. The white portions of the transition
region
62' in effect show the shape of the contour encompassing the highest portions of the
surface, and correspond roughly to the upper contours that could be imparted to a
dried tissue web
23. The elevated contours have a generally sinuous shape, with depresses islands corresponding
to the floats
60 or knuckles of the woven sculpted fabric
30.
[0120] Figure 25 depicts a portion of a dried tissue web
23 having a continuous background texture
146 depicted as a rectilinear grid, though any pattern or texture could be used. The
dried tissue web
23 further comprises a raised transition region
62' which has a visually distinctive primary pattern
145. In a local region
148 of the dried tissue web
23 that spans both sides of a portion of the transition region
62', two portions the background texture
146 define, at a local level, a first background region
38' and a second background region
50' separated by a transition region
62' in the dried tissue web
23. Thus, the first background region
38' and the second background region
50', though separated by the transition region
62', are nevertheless contiguous outside the local region
148 of the dried tissue web
23. In other embodiments, the transition region
62' can define enclosed first and second background regions
38' and
50', respectively, that are contiguous outside of a local region
148 or fully separated first and second background regions
38' and
50', respectively, that are not contiguous.
[0121] Figures 26a - 26e show other embodiments for the arrangement of the warps
44 in the first background region
38 of a woven sculpted fabric
30 (though the embodiment shown could equally well be applied to a second background
region
50), taken in cross-sectional views looking into the machine direction.
Figure 26a shows an embodiment related to those of
Figures 1a, 1b, and
2, wherein each single float
60 is separated from the next single float
60 by a single sinker
61. However, single strands are not the only way to form the first elevated regions
40 (which could equally well be depicted as second elevated regions
52) or the first depressed regions
42 (which could equally well be depicted as second depressed regions
54). Rather,
Figures 26b - 26e show embodiments in which at least one of the first elevated regions
40 or first depressed regions
42 comprises more than one warp
44.
Figure 26b shows single spaced apart single strand floats
60 forming the first elevated regions
40, interspaced (with respect to a view from above the shute
45) by double-strand sinkers
61 (or, equivalently, pairs of adjacent single-strand sinkers
61) which define first depressed regions
42 between each first elevated region
40. In
Figure 26c, the first elevated regions
40 each comprise pairs of warps
44, while the interspaced first depressed regions
42 likewise comprise pairs of warps
44 forming double-strand sinkers
61. In
Figure 26d, double-strand first elevated regions
40 are interspaced by triple-strand first depressed regions
42. In
Figure 26e, the single-, double-, and triple-strand groups form both the first elevated regions
40 and the first depressed regions
42. Many other combinations are possible within the scope of the present invention.
Thus, any machine-direction oriented elevated or depressed region in a woven sculpted
fabric
30 can comprise a group of any practical number of warps
44, such as any number from 1 to 10, and more specifically from 1 to 5. Such groups
can comprise parallel monofilament strands or multifilament strands such as cabled
filaments.
The Product
[0122] FIGURE 28 is a photograph of a woven sculpted fabric
30 embodiment of the present invention. The decorative pattern repeats in a rectangular
unit cell which is about 33 mm MD by 38 mm CD in size. The width of the floats
60 is about 0.70 mm. The adjacent elevated floats
60 are separated by a distance which averages about 0.89 mm.
[0123] In the woven sculpted fabric
30 shown in
FIGURE 28, the plane difference varies in the MD and CD throughout the fabric unit cell. For
a given float
60, the plane difference tends to be minimal near transition regions
62 and maximal half way between two transition regions
62 in the MD. In general, plane difference is larger for a long sinker
61 between two long floats
60 than a short sinker
61 between two short floats
60. This variation in plane difference contributes to the aesthetics of the overall decorative
pattern.
[0124] In the woven sculpted fabric
30 shown in
FIGURE 28, the separation distance between adjacent elevated floats
60 varies in the MD and CD throughout the fabric unit cell. This variation in separation
distance between adjacent elevated floats
60 contributes to the aesthetics of the overall decorative pattern.
[0125] FIGURES 29 and
30 shows the air side and the fabric side an absorbent tissue product
27 made in accordance with the present invention as described herein in the Example,
depicting an interlocking circular primary pattern
64 made from the distinctive background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements on the dried tissue web
23 by a plurality of transition areas
62 of throughdrying fabric
19. The distinctive background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements, in addition to providing valuable consumer preferred
aesthetics, also unexpectedly improve physical attributes of the absorbent tissue
product
27. The distinctive background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements in the dried tissue web
23 produced by the transition areas
62 form multi-axial hinges improving drape and flexibility of the finished absorbent
tissue product
27. In addition, the distinctive background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements are resistant to tear propagation improving tensile
strength and machine runnability of the dried tissue web
23.
[0126] In yet another advantage, the increased uniformity in spacing of the raised MD floats
60 possible with the present invention, while still producing distinctive background
textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear line primary patterns
64, maintains higher levels of caliper and CD stretch compared to decorative webs produced
by the fabrics disclosed in
U.S. Patent No. 5,429,686. The possibility of optimizing the uniformity and spacing of the raised MD floats
60 in the CD direction, without regard to spacing considerations in order to form the
distinctive background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements in the dried tissue web
23, is a significant advantage within the art of papermaking. The present invention
allows for improved uniformity of the raised MD floats
60 in the CD direction, and the flexibility to form a multitude of complex distinctive
background textures
39 and
51 and curvilinear decorative elements in the dried tissue web
23 within a single processing step.
EXAMPLE
[0127] In order to further illustrate the absorbent tissue products of the present invention,
an uncreped throughdried tissue product was produced using the method substantially
as illustrated in
FIGURE 27. More specifically, a blended single-ply towel basesheet was made in which the fiber
furnish comprised about 53% bleached recycled fiber (100% post consumer content),
about 31% bleached northern softwood Kraft fiber, and about 16% bleached southern
softwood Kraft fiber.
[0128] The fiber was pulped for 30 minutes at about 4-5 percent consistency and diluted
to about 2.7 percent consistency after pulping. Kymene 557LX (commercially available
from Hercules in Wilmington, DE) was added to the fiber at about 9 kilograms per tonne
of pulp.
[0129] The headbox net slice opening was about 23 millimeters. The consistency of the stock
fed to the headbox was about 0.26 weight percent.
[0130] The resulting wet tissue web
15 (shown in
FIGURE 27) was formed on a c-wrap twin-wire, suction form roll, former with outer forming fabric
12 and inner forming fabric
13 being Voith Fabrics 2164-A33 fabrics (commercially available from Voith Fabrics in
Raleigh, NC). The speed of the forming fabrics was about 6.9 meters per second. The
newly-formed wet tissue web
15 was then dewatered to a consistency of about 22-24 percent using vacuum suction from
below inner forming fabric
13 before being transferred to transfer fabric
17, which was traveling at about 6.3 meters per second (10 percent rush transfer). The
transfer fabric
17 was a Voith Fabrics 2164-A33 fabric. Vacuum shoe
18 pulling about 420 millimeters of mercury vacuum was used to transfer the wet tissue
web
15 to the transfer fabric
17.
[0131] The wet tissue web
15 was then transferred to a throughdrying fabric
19 (Voith Fabrics t4803-7, substantially as shown in
FIGURE 28). The throughdrying fabric
19 was traveling at a speed of about 6.3 meters per second. The wet tissue web
15 was carried over a pair of Honeycomb throughdryers (like the throughdryer
21 and commercially available from Valmet, Inc. (Honeycomb Div.) in Biddeford, ME) operating
at a temperature of about 195 degrees C and dried to final dryness of at least about
97 percent consistency. The resulting uncreped dried tissue web
23 was then tested for physical properties without conditioning.
[0132] The fabric side of the resulting towel basesheet may appear substantially as shown
in
FIGURE 29. The air side of the resulting towel basesheet may appear substantially as shown in
FIGURE 30.
[0133] The resulting dried tissue web
23 had the following properties: Basis Weight, 42 grams per square meter; CD Stretch,
5.5 percent; CD Tensile Strength, 1524 grams per 25.4 millimeters of sample width;
Single Sheet Caliper, 0.55 millimeters; MD Stretch, 8.0 percent; MD Tensile Strength,
1765 grams per 25.4 millimeters of sample width; and, an wedding ring pattern as shown
in
FIGURES 29 and
30.
[0134] It will be appreciated that the foregoing examples and description, given for purposes
of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this invention,
which is defined by the following claims and all equivalents thereto.
1. Ein gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) zur Herstellung eines Tuchgewebes (72), welche
ein kurvenförmiges, dekoratives Element aufweist, wobei der gewebte, geformte Stoff
eine Tuch kontaktierende Oberfläche aufweist, welche mindestens eine erste Gruppe
von Strängen (44) und eine zweite Gruppe von Strängen (45) beinhaltet, wobei sich
die erste Gruppe von Strängen (44) in einer ersten Richtung erstreckt, und wobei sich
die zweite Gruppe von Strängen in einer zweiten Richtung erstreckt, und wobei die
erste Gruppe von Strängen (44) angepasst ist, erhabene Flottierer (60) und abgesenkte
Sinker (61) zu erzeugen, wodurch eine dreidimensionale Stoffoberfläche bestimmt wird,
umfassend:
a) einen ersten Hintergrundbereich (38), welcher einen Satz von im Wesentlichen parallelen
ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60) aufweist, die getrennt sind durch einen Satz von
im Wesentlichen parallelen ersten abgesenkten Sinkern (61), welcher erste abgesenkte
Sinker (61) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60)
angeordnet sind, und erste erhabene Flottierer (60) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden
ersten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) angeordnet sind;
b) einen zweiten Hintergrundbereich (50), welcher einen Satz von im Wesentlichen parallelen
zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) aufweist, die getrennt sind durch einen Satz von
im Wesentlichen parallelen zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61), welcher zweite abgesenkte
Sinker (61) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60)
angeordnet sind, und zweite erhabene Flottierer (60) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden
zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) angeordnet sind; und
c) einen Übergangsbereich (62), welcher zwischen dem ersten und zweiten Hintergrundbereich
(38, 50) angeordnet ist, wobei die ersten erhabenen Flottierer (40) des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) zu den zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (40) des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs (50)
werden, und wobei die ersten abgesenkten Sinker (61) des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) zu den zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs (50)
werden, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) ein kurvenförmiges dekoratives Element bildet.
2. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einer der ersten
erhabenen Flottierer (60) mit mindestens einem der zweiten erhabenen Flottierer (60)
in dem Übergangsbereich (62) überlappt.
3. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die Richtung der ersten Gruppe
von Strängen (44) in der Maschinenrichtung liegt.
4. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die Richtung der ersten Gruppe
von Strängen (44) in einem spitzen Winkel zu der Maschinenrichtung liegt.
5. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die Richtung der ersten Gruppe
von Strängen (44) im Wesentlichen in einem rechten Winkel zu der zweiten Richtung
der zweiten Gruppe von Strängen liegt.
6. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einer der ersten
abgesenkten Sinker (61) ein erster abgesenkter Multistrang-Sinker ist.
7. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einer der zweiten
abgesenkten Sinker (61) ein zweiter abgesenkter Multistrang-Sinker ist.
8. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einer der ersten
erhabenen Flottierer (60) ein erster erhabener Multistrang-Flottierer ist.
9. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei mindestens einer der zweiten
erhabenen Flottierer (60) ein zweiter erhabener Multistrang-Flottierer ist.
10. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) eine
größere Oberflächentiefe aufweist als der erste Hintergrundbereich (38).
11. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) eine
größere Oberflächentiefe aufweist als der zweite Hintergrundbereich (38).
12. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) gefüllt
ist.
13. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) im
Wesentlichen die gleiche Oberflächentiefe aufweist wie der erste Hintergrundbereich
(38).
14. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) im
Wesentlichen die gleiche Oberflächentiefe aufweist wie der zweite Hintergrundbereich
(38).
15. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der maximale Ebenenunterschied
der ersten erhabenen Flottierer (60) mindestens ungefähr 0,12 mm beträgt.
16. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei jeder der ersten erhabenen
Flottierer (60) eine Breite aufweist, und wobei der maximale Ebenenunterschied der
ersten erhabenen Flottierer (60) mindestens ungefähr 30 % der Breite eines der ersten
erhabenen Flottierer (60) beträgt.
17. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der maximale Ebenenunterschied
der zweiten erhabenen Flottierer (60) mindestens ungefähr 0,12 mm beträgt.
18. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei jeder der zweiten erhabenen
Flottierer (60) eine Breite aufweist, und wobei der maximale Ebenenunterschied der
zweiten erhabenen Flottierer (60) mindestens ungefähr 30 % der Breite eines der zweiten
erhabenen Flottierer (60) beträgt.
19. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der erste Hintergrundbereich
(38) eine erste Textur aufweist und wobei der zweite Hintergrundbereich (50) eine
zweite Textur aufweist.
20. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 19, wobei die Textur des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) im Wesentlichen die gleiche ist wie die Textur des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs
(50).
21. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 20, wobei die Textur des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) verschieden ist von der Textur des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs (50).
22. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der maximale Abstand zwischen
angrenzenden ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60) mindestens ungefähr 0,3 mm beträgt.
23. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 22, wobei der maximale Abstand zwischen
angrenzenden ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60) größer ist als die Breite von einem
der angrenzenden ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60).
24. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der maximale Abstand zwischen
angrenzenden zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) mindestens ungefähr 0,3 mm beträgt.
25. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 24, wobei der maximale Abstand zwischen
angrenzenden zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) größer ist als die Breite von einem
der angrenzenden zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60).
26. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der gewebte, geformte Stoff
(30) ein Formdraht ist.
27. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der gewebte, geformte Stoff
(30) ein Durchluft getrockneter Stoff ist.
28. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der gewebte, geformte Stoff
(30) ein Transferstoff ist.
29. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei die Tuch kontaktierende Oberfläche
des gewebten, geformten Stoffs (30) nichtmakroskopisch monoplanar ist.
30. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Übergangsbereich (62) mit
einem Polymerharz gefüllt ist.
31. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei jeder der ersten erhabenen
Flottierer (60) einen ersten Anfangspunkt und einen ersten Endpunkt aufweist, wobei
jeder der zweiten erhabenen Flottierer (60) einen zweiten Anfangspunkt und einen zweiten
Endpunkt aufweist, wobei der erste Endpunkt von mindestens einem der ersten erhabenen
Flottierer (60) in dem Übergangsbereich (62) durch eine Lücke, welche eine Breite
aufweist, welche von ungefähr 10 mm bis ungefähr 0 mm beträgt, von dem zweiten Endpunkt
von mindestens einen der nächsten zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) getrennt ist.
32. Gewebter, geformter Stoff (30) gemäß Anspruch 31, wobei die Lücke eine Breite in einem
Bereich von ungefähr 4 mm bis ungefähr 0 mm aufweist.
33. Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Tuchprodukts, welches ein kurvenförmiges dekoratives
Element aufweist, wobei das Verfahren umfasst:
a) Ablegen einer wässrigen Suspension (11) aus Papierherstellungsfasern auf einem
Formstoff (13), wodurch ein feuchtes Tuchgewebe (15) gebildet wird;
b) Übertragen des feuchten Tuchgewebes (15) auf einen gewebten, geformten Stoff (19),
welcher eine Tuch kontaktierende Oberfläche aufweist, welche mindestens eine erste
Gruppe von Strängen (44) und eine zweite Gruppe von Strängen (45) beinhaltet, wobei
die erste Gruppe von Strängen (44) sich in einer ersten Richtung erstreckt, und wobei
die zweite Gruppe von Strängen (44) sich in einer zweiten Richtung erstreckt, und
wobei die erste Gruppe von Strängen (44) angepasst ist, erhabene Flottierer (60) und
abgesenkte Sinker (61) zu erzeugen, wodurch eine dreidimensionale Stoffoberfläche
bestimmt wird, umfassend:
i) einen ersten Hintergrundbereich (38), welcher einen Satz von im Wesentlichen parallelen
ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60) aufweist, die getrennt sind durch einen Satz von
im Wesentlichen parallelen ersten abgesenkten Sinkern (61), welcher erste abgesenkte
Sinker (61) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden ersten erhabenen Flottierern (60)
angeordnet sind, und erste erhabene Flottierer (60) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden
ersten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) angeordnet sind;
ii) einen zweiten Hintergrundbereich (50), welcher einen Satz von im Wesentlichen
parallelen zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) aufweist, die getrennt sind durch einen
Satz von im Wesentlichen parallelen zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61), welcher zweite
abgesenkte Sinker (61) umfasst, welche zwischen angrenzenden zweiten erhabenen Flottierern
(60) angeordnet sind, und zweite erhabene Flottierer (60) umfasst, welche zwischen
angrenzenden zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) angeordnet sind; und
iii) einen Übergangsbereich (62), welcher zwischen dem ersten und zweiten Hintergrundbereich
(38, 50) angeordnet ist, wobei die ersten erhabenen Flottierer (60) des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) zu den zweiten erhabenen Flottierern (60) des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs (50)
werden, und wobei die ersten abgesenkten Sinker (61) des ersten Hintergrundbereichs
(38) zu den zweiten abgesenkten Sinkern (61) des zweiten Hintergrundbereichs (50)
werden, wobei der Übergangsbereich (60) ein kurvenförmiges dekoratives Element bildet;
und
c) Trockenen des feuchten Tuchgewebes.
34. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 33, wobei das feuchte Tuchgewebe (15) eine Konsistenz von
mindestens ungefähr 20 % aufweist, wenn das feuchte Tuchgewebe (15) auf den gewebten,
geformten Stoff (19) übertragen wird.
35. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 33, wobei das Trocknen des feuchten Tuchgewebes (15) nichtkompressives
Trocknen umfasst.
36. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 35, wobei das nichtkompressive Trocknen des feuchten Tuchgewebes
(15) das Durchlufttrocknen auf einem Durchluftstoff (19) umfasst, wodurch ein trockenes
Tuchgewebe (43) geformt wird.
37. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, wobei die Geschwindigkeit des Durchtrockenstoffs (19)
um ungefähr 10 bis ungefähr 80 % langsamer ist als die Geschwindigkeit des Formstoffs
(13).
38. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, welches des Weiteren das Übertragen des feuchten Tuchgewebes
(15) von dem Formstoff (13) zu einem Transferstoff (17) vor dem Übertragen des feuchten
Tuchgewebes (15) zu dem Durchtrockenstoff (19) umfasst, wobei die Geschwindigkeit
des Transferstoffs (17) um ungefähr 10 bis ungefähr 80% langsamer ist als die Geschwindigkeit
des Formstoffs (13).
39. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 38, wobei die Geschwindigkeit des Transferstoffs (17) im
Wesentlichen die gleiche ist wie die Geschwindigkeit des gewebten, geformten Stoffs
(19).
40. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 33, wobei das feuchte Tuchgewebe (15) makroskopisch überarbeitet
ist, um sich an die Tuch kontaktierende Oberfläche des gewebten, geformten Stoffs
(19) anzupassen.
41. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 33, wobei die Tuch kontaktierende Oberfläche des gewebten,
geformten Stoffes (19) nichtmakroskopisch monoplanar ist.
42. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, wobei das getrocknete Tuchgewebe (23) nicht gekreppt
ist.
43. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, wobei das getrocknete Tuchgewebe (23) auf einen Yankeetrockner
übertragen wird.
44. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 43, wobei das getrocknete Tuchgewebe (23) von dem Yankeetrockner
ohne Kreppen entfernt wird.
45. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 43, wobei das getrocknete Tuchgewebe (23) von dem Yankeetrockner
mit Kreppen entfernt wird.
46. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, welches des Weiteren das Entwässern des feuchten Tuchgewebes
(15) umfasst durch mindestens eines von Verlagerungsentwässern, Kapillarentwässern
und Anwendung von Luftdruck.
47. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 36, welches des Weiteren das Entwässern des feuchten Tuchgewebes
(15) umfasst durch mindestens eines von Impulstrocknen, Radiofrequenztrocknen, Langspaltwalzen,
Feuchtwalzen, Dampftrocknen, Hochintensitätsspalttrocknen und Infrarottrocknen.
48. Verfahren gemäß Anspruch 33, wobei das feuchte Tuchgewebe (15) mit einem chemischen
Verstärkungsmittel behandelt wird und zwei oder mehrere Male gekreppt wird.
49. Verfahren gemäß einem der Ansprüche 33-48, in welchem der Stoff gemäß einem der Ansprüche
2-32 ist.
50. Tuchprodukt, welches durch das Verfahren gemäß einem der Ansprüche 33-49 hergestellt
ist.
51. Tuchprodukt gemäß Anspruch 50, wobei das Tuchprodukt eine Dichte aufweist, die im
Wesentlichen gleichförmig ist.
52. Tuchprodukt gemäß einem der Ansprüche 50 oder 51, wobei das Tuchprodukt eine Maschinenrichtungsdehnung
von mehr als ungefähr 10 % aufweist, weiter umfassend ein Weichmachermittel, welches
auf einer Oberfläche des Tuchprodukts angeordnet ist.
53. Tuchprodukt gemäß Anspruch 50, wobei das Tuchprodukt eine Maschinenrichtungsdehnung
von mehr als ungefähr 10 % aufweist.