Wet-pressed tissue and towel products with elevated CD stretch and low tensile ratios made with a high solids fabric crepe process
An absorbent sheet of cellulosic fibers includes a mixture of hardwood fibers and softwood fibers arranged in a reticulum having: (i) a plurality of pileated fiber enriched regions of relatively high local basis weight interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight-linking regions whose fiber orientation is biased along the machine direction between pileated regions interconnected thereby, wherein the sheet exhibits a % CD stretch which is at least about 2.75 times the dry tensile ratio of the sheet. Tensile ratios of from about 0.4 to about 4 are readily achieved.
1. A method of making a cellulosic web for tissue products comprising:
(a) preparing an aqueous cellulosic papermaking furnish of a mixture of hardwood and softwood fibers, wherein the furnish consists predominantly of hardwood fiber;
(b) providing the papermaking furnish to a forming fabric as a jet issuing from a headbox at a jet speed;
(c) compactively dewatering the papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(d) applying the dewatered web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface moving at a first speed;
(e) belt creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt wherein the belt is traveling the second speed slower than the speed of the transfer surface, the belt pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta and web consistency being selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;
(f) drying the web; and
(g) controlling the hardwood to softwood ratio, fiber length distribution, overall crepe, jet speed, drying and belt creping steps as well as selecting a creping belt pattern such that the web is characterized in that it has an absorbency of at least 5 g/g and a percent CD stretch which is both at least about 2.75 times the MD/CD dry tensile ratio of the web and at least about 5%.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of calendering the web between a first steel calender roll and a second steel calender roll.
3. A method of making a cellulosic web for towel products comprising:
(a) preparing an aqueous cellulosic papermaking furnish of a mixture of hardwood and softwood fibers, wherein the furnish consists predominantly of softwood fibers;
(b) providing the papermaking furnish to a forming fabric as a jet issuing from a headbox at a jet speed;
(c) compactively dewatering the papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(d) applying the dewatered web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface moving at a first speed;
(e) belt creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt wherein the belt is traveling the second speed slower than the speed of the transfer surface, the belt pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta and web consistency being selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;
(f) drying the web; and
(g) controlling the hardwood to softwood ratio, fiber length distribution, overall crepe, jet speed, drying and belt creping steps as well as selecting a creping belt pattern such that the web is characterized in that it has an absorbency of at least 5 g/g and a percent CD stretch which is both at least about 2.75 times the MD/CD dry tensile ratio of the web and at least about 5%.
4. A method of making belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet comprising:
(a) preparing a cellulosic furnish comprising a mixture of hardwood and softwood fibers;
(b) providing the papermaking furnish to a forming fabric as a jet issuing from a head box at a jet speed;
(c) compactively dewatering the papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
(d) applying the dewatered web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface moving at a first speed;
(e) belt creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt wherein the belt is traveling the second speed slower than the speed of the transfer surface, the belt pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta and web consistency being selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions having a high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;
(f) drying the web; and
(g) controlling the hardwood to softwood ratio, fiber length distribution, overall crepe, jet speed, drying and belt creping steps as well as selecting a creping belt pattern such that the web is characterized in that it has an absorbency of at least 5 g/g and a percent CD stretch which is both at least about 2.75 times the MD/CD dry tensile ratio of the web and at least about 5%.
5. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the orientation of fibers in the fiber-enriched regions are biased in the CD.
6. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of from about 10 to about 100%.
7. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 40%.
8. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 60%.
9. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of at least about 80%.
10. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of 100% or more.
11. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , operated at a fabric crepe of about 125% or more.
12. The method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the web comprises secondary fiber.