Measuring arrangements in a shortened dry end of a tissue machine

A dry end of a papermaking machine, the dry end comprising:

• a dryer for drying a paper web;
• a rotatably driven reel spool for winding the paper web thereon located downstream of the dryer;
• an active airfoil disposed between the dryer and the reel spool, the airfoil having a wall defining a web-supporting surface adjacent to which a paper web travels in the papermaking machine, the wall defining openings through which air is discharged to form an air layer along the web-supporting surface for supporting and stabilizing the paper web;
• and
• a measuring device integrated into the active airfoil and directed from the web-supporting surface onto the paper web for measuring at least one property of the paper web, the measuring device being operable to measure the property from only one side of the web.

A dry end of a tissue papermaking machine, comprising:

• a dryer for drying a tissue paper web;
• a reel-up positioned downstream of the dryer for winding the web to form a tissue paper roll;
• a web support positioned between the dryer and the reel-up, the web support providing support to the web such that a first side of the web is exposed and an opposite second side of the web is in opposition to the web support, the web support providing support to the web from proximate the dryer substantially to the tissue paper roll;
• and
• a reflectance measuring device located proximate the first side of the web, the reflectance measuring device emitting measuring beams onto the web on the web support and receiving reflected measuring beams from the web and deducing at least one property of the web based on the reflected measuring beams.

A method for measuring a property of a traveling tissue paper web in a dry end of a tissue papermaking machine, the method comprising:

• supporting the web on a web support located in the dry end between a dryer and a reel-up of the tissue papermaking machine such that a first side of the web is exposed and an opposite second side of the web is in opposition with the web support, the web support providing support to the web from proximate the dryer substantially to a tissue paper roll held in the reel-up;
• emitting measuring beams onto the first side of the web on the web support so as to cause the measuring beams to be reflected from the web;
• receiving the measuring beams reflected from the web;
• and
• analyzing the reflected measuring beams to measure a property of the paper.