# US 7,611,607 B2 · Rippled papermaking fabrics for creped and uncreped tissue manufacturing processes > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,611,607 B2 - Document ID: US7611607B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/553,906 - Filed: 2006-10-27 - Published: 2008-05-15 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2006-10-27 - Assignees: Voith Patent GmbH - Inventors: Cristina Asensio Mullally; Brooke Savell - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7611607B2 ## CPC - D21F 11/006: {Making patterned paper} - Y10S 162/902: Woven fabric for papermaking drier section - Y10S 162/903: Paper forming member, e.g. fourdrinier, sheet forming member - Y10T 442/3203: Multi-planar warp layers - D21F: PAPER-MAKING MACHINES; METHODS OF PRODUCING PAPER THEREON - Y10S: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A woven fabric for a papermaking machine includes a textured sheet contacting surface having substantially continuous machine-direction ripples separated by valleys. The ripples are formed of multiple warp strands grouped together and supported by multiple shute strands of two or more diameters. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A woven fabric for a papermaking machine, said fabric comprising a textured sheet contacting surface having substantially continuous machine-direction ripples separated by valleys, said ripples being formed of multiple warp strands grouped together and supported by multiple shute strands of two or more diameters, the fabric being a single layer fabric and having a cross-machine direction bending stiffness from about 20 to about 80 N·m. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples have a width of between approximately 1.3 to 3 mm. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples have a frequency of occurrence in a cross-machine direction of the fabric of between approximately 2 to 8 ripples per centimeter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, said ripples being wider than the individual warp strands. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, said ripples being higher than the individual warp strands. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, said ripples being wider and higher than individual said warp strands. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in the machine direction and wherein at least one warp strand participates exclusively in a structure of a ripple. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, and wherein at least one said warp strand participates exclusively in a structure of at least one said valley. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, and wherein no individual said warp strand concurrently participates in a structure of at least one said ripple and participates in a structure of at least one said valley. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein each individual warp strand concurrently participates in both the structure of said ripples and the structure of said valleys. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples comprise multiple individual warp strands substantially oriented in a machine direction, and wherein each individual warp strand concurrently participates in both the structure of said ripples and the structure of said valleys. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said fabric is warp-dominant. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said fabric is co-planar. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The fabric of claim 1, wherein said ripples have a depth of at least 0.8 mm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The fabric of claim 14, wherein said ripples have a depth of between approximately 0.85 to 1.0 mm. ### Claim 16 A woven papermaking fabric having a textured sheet contacting surface comprising substantially continuous machine-direction ripples separated by valleys, said ripples being formed of multiple warp strands grouped together, said ripples having a depth of between approximately 250 to 300 percent of a warp strand diameter, the fabric being a single layer fabric and having a cross-machine direction bending stiffness from about 20 to about 80 N·m. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said ripples having a width of less than 3 mm. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said ripple depth is between approximately 105 to 120 percent of a sum of the warp and weighted-average shute diameters. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said fabric comprises a forming fabric for use in a wet-laid papermaking process. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said fabric comprises a through-air-drying fabric for use in a wet-laid papermaking process. ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said fabric comprises a transfer fabric. ### Claim 22 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said fabric is configured for imparting a cross-machine direction molding strain of about 20 to 25 percent. ### Claim 23 (depends on 16) The fabric of claim 16, wherein said fabric is one of an impression and through-air-drying fabric for conveying a web through a pressure-roll nip to a Yankee dryer in a wet-laid papermaking process. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The fabric of claim 23, wherein, wherein said impression fabric has a frequency of occurence of the fabric ripples, and is configured for contacting the Yankee dryer in substantially continuous machine-direction bands with a frequency of occurence corresponding to said frequency of occurence of the fabric ripples. ### Claim 25 (depends on 23) The fabric of claim 23, wherein said fabric includes a post-treatment in the form of sanding to improve contact area. ### Claim 26 A single layer, woven fabric having at least 40 features per square inch, and a textured sheet contacting surface having a z-direction depth of at least 0.8 mm, the fabric being a single layer fabric and having a cross-machine direction bending stiffness from about 20 to about 80 N·m. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The fabric of claim 26, having warp strands with respective diameters less than 0.4 mm. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The fabric of claim 26, having a z-direction depth greater than a diameter of an individual warp strand. ### Claim 29 A woven papermaking fabric having a textured sheet contacting surface comprising substantially continuous ripples aligned at an angle to a machine direction and separated by valleys, said ripples being formed of multiple warp strands grouped together and supported by multiple shute strands of two or more diameters, wherein the warp strands are substantially oriented in the machine direction and wherein each individual warp strand participates in both a structure of said ripples and a structure of said valleys, the fabric being a single layer fabric and having a cross-machine direction bending stiffness from about 20 to about 80 N·m. ### Claim 30 A woven papermaking fabric having a textured sheet contacting surface comprising substantially continuous ripples aligned at a variable angle to a machine direction and separated by valleys, said ripples being formed of multiple warp strands grouped together and supported by multiple shute strands of two or more diameters, wherein the warp strands are substantially oriented in the machine direction and wherein each individual warp strand participates in both a structure of said ripples and a structure of said valleys, and wherein said variable angle of said fabric ripple regularly reverses direction in terms of traversing the cross-machine direction to thereby create a wavy-like appearance, the fabric being a single layer fabric and having a cross-machine direction bending stiffness from about 20 to about 80 N·m.