Apparatus for forming a fibrous structure

An apparatus for use in forming a fibrous structure, said apparatus including a conveying duct for directing a stream of fluid-entrained fibers in a downstream direction to an exit end of said duct;

• said duct including a top wall, a bottom wall and laterally spaced-apart sidewalls;
• a movable foraminous surface for intercepting the duct adjacent the exit end thereof for permitting the fluid in which the fibers are entrained to pass through it, and for collecting the fibers on its surface in the form of a fibrous structure;
• the improvement wherein one sidewall of the conveying duct has a downstream end which extends beyond the downstream end of the other sidewall, said foraminous surface being obliquely oriented so as to be closely positioned to the downstream ends of both sidewalls to present a width for intercepting the stream of fluid-entrained fibers that is greater than the width of the conveying duct at its exit end, as measured generally perpendicular to the direction of material flow through said duct.

An apparatus for use in the formation of a fibrous structure, said apparatus including a fiberizing means for entraining fibers in a fluid medium, a conveying duct with laterally spaced-apart sidewalls having an upstream end adjacent the fiberizing means for receiving the fluid-entrained fibers, and a movable foraminous surface intercepting an open downstream end of the conveying duct to collect the fibers on said surface in the form of fibrous structure;

• the improvement wherein the foraminous surface is obliquely oriented to the direction of fiber flow through said duct so that said surface intercepts the fiber flow closer to the fiberizing means adjacent one lateral wall of said duct than adjacent the other lateral wall of said duct, whereby the lateral dimension of the foraminous surface between the laterally spaced-apart duct sidewalls is greater than the width of the duct at its open downstream end, as measured between said sidewalls in a direction generally normal to the direction of fiber flow through said duct.