Granted Patent B2

US 7,195,040 · App. 11/207,277 · Granted Mar 27, 2007

Abstract

Claims (57)

1. A papermaking fabric, comprising a series of repeat units, each of the repeat units including:

a first set of top machine direction (MD) yarns;

a second set of top MD yarns;

a set of top cross machine direction (CMD) yarns interwoven with the first and second sets of top MD yarns;

a set of bottom CMD yarns; and

a set of pairs of MD stitching yarns interwoven with the top and bottom CMD yarns, each pair of MD stitching yarns sandwiching a respective immediately adjacent top MD yarn of the second set;

wherein the first and second sets of top MD yarns interweave only with the top CMD yarns; and

wherein the top MD yarns of the first set interweave in a first sequence with the top CMD yarns in which the top MD yarns of the first set form a plurality of top side MD knuckles over the top CMD yarns, and wherein the top MD yarns of the second set interweave with the top CMD yarns in a second sequence that differs from the first sequence in that the top MD yarns of the second set form two fewer knuckles than are present in the first sequence; and

wherein each of the stitching yarns forms a knuckle over a top CMD yarn.

2. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 1 , wherein the knuckles formed by the stitching yarns over the top CMD yarns are formed over top CMD yarns over which immediately adjacent top MD yarns of the second set do not form knuckles.

3. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 1 , wherein only stitching yarns interweave with the bottom CMD yarns.

4. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 1 , wherein each stitching yarn forms two bottom side MD knuckles below a bottom CMD yarn.

5. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 4 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed by stitching yarns of the same pair are formed under the same bottom CMD yarn.

6. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 4 , wherein each of the stitching yarns forms one bottom side MD knuckle below a bottom CMD yarn.

7. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 6 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed of stitching yarns of the same pair are formed on adjacent bottom CMD yarns.

8. The papermaking fabrics defined in claim 1 , wherein the top MD yarns of the first and second sets, the top CMD yarns, and the knuckles of the stitching yarns combine to form a plain weave papermaking surface on the fabric.

9. A papermaking fabric, comprising a series of repeat units, each of the repeat units including:

a first set of top machine direction (MD) yarns;

a second set of top MD yarns;

a set of top cross machine direction (CMD) yarns interwoven with the first and second sets of top MD yarns;

a set of bottom CMD yarns; and

a set of pairs of MD stitching yarns interwoven with the top and bottom CMD yarns, each pair of MD stitching yarns sandwiching an immediately adjacent respective top MD yarn of the second set;

wherein the first and second sets of top MD yarns interweave only with the top CMD yarns; and

wherein the top MD yarns of the first set interweave in a first sequence with the top CMD yarns in which the top MD yarns of the first set form a plurality of top side MD knuckles over the top CMD yarns, and wherein the top MD yarns of the second set interweave with the top CMD yarns in a second sequence that differs from the first sequence; and

wherein each of the stitching yarns forms a knuckle over a top CMD yarn over which the immediately adjacent MD yarn of the second set does not form a knuckle.

10. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 9 , wherein only stitching yarns interweave with the bottom CMD yarns.

11. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 9 , wherein each stitching yarn forms two bottom side MD knuckles below a bottom CMD yarn.

12. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 11 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed by stitching yarns of the same pair are formed under the same bottom CMD yarn.

13. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 11 , wherein each of the stitching yarns forms one bottom side MD knuckle below a bottom CMD yarn.

14. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 13 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed of stitching yarns of the same pair are formed on adjacent bottom CMD yarns.

15. The papermaking fabrics defined in claim 9 , wherein the top MD yarns of the first and second sets, the top CMD yarns, and the knuckles of the stitching yarns combine to form a plain weave papermaking surface on the fabric.

16. A papermaking fabric, comprising a series of repeat units, each of the repeat units including:

a first set of top machine direction (MD) yarns;

a second set of top MD yarns;

a set of top cross machine direction (CMD) yarns interwoven with the first and second sets of top MD yarns;

a set of bottom CMD yarns; and

a set of pairs of MD stitching yarns interwoven with the top and bottom CMD yarns, each pair of MD stitching yarns sandwiching an immediately adjacent respective top MD yarn of the second set;

wherein the first and second sets of top MD yarns interweave only with the top CMD yarns; and

wherein the top MD yarns of the first set interweave in a first sequence with the top CMD yarns in which the top MD yarns of the first set form a plurality of top side MD knuckles over the top CMD yarns, and wherein the top MD yarns of the second set interweave with the top CMD yarns in a second sequence that differs from the first sequence that differs from the first sequence in that the top MD yarns of the second set form fewer knuckles than are present in the first sequence; and

wherein only stitching yarns interweave with the bottom CMD yarns.

17. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 16 , wherein each stitching yarn forms two bottom side MD knuckles below a bottom CMD yarn.

18. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 17 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed by stitching yarns of the same pair are formed under the same bottom CMD yarn.

19. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 16 , wherein each of the stitching yarns forms one bottom side MD knuckle below a bottom CMD yarn.

20. The papermaking fabric defined in claim 19 , wherein the bottom side MD knuckles formed of stitching yarns of the same pair are formed on adjacent bottom CMD yarns.

21. The papermaking fabrics defined in claim 16 , wherein the top MD yarns of the first and second sets, the top CMD yarns, and the knuckles of the stitching yarns combine to form a plain weave papermaking surface on the fabric.

22. A method of making paper, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a papermaking fabric, the fabric comprising:

a first set of top machine direction (MD) yarns;

a second set of top MD yarns;

a set of top cross machine direction (CMD) yarns interwoven with the first and second sets of top MD yarns;

a set of bottom CMD yarns; and

a set of pairs of MD stitching yarns interwoven with the top and bottom CMD yarns, each pair of MD stitching yarns sandwiching an immediately adjacent respective top MD yarn of the second set;

wherein the first and second sets of top MD yarns interweave only with the top CMD yarns; and

wherein the top MD yarns of the first set interweave in a first sequence with the top CMD yarns in which the top MD yarns of the first set form a plurality of top side MD knuckles over the top CMD yarns, and wherein the top MD yarns of the second set interweave with the top CMD yarns in a second sequence that differs from the first sequence; and

wherein each of the stitching yarns forms a knuckle over a top CMD yarn over which the immediately adjacent MD yarn of the second set does not form a knuckle;

(b) depositing paper stock on the papermaking fabric; and

(c) removing moisture from the papermaking stock.

Assignments (12)