Fabric crepe/draw process for producing absorbent sheet

A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet comprising:

• a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
• b) applying the dewatered web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface moving at a transfer surface speed;
• c) fabric-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping fabric, the creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric wherein the fabric is traveling at a fabric speed slower than the speed of said transfer surface, the fabric pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta and web consistency being selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and wherein the creping fabric is adapted to contact the transfer surface and applies pressure to the web against the transfer surface such that the fibers of the web are redistributed on the creping fabric to form a web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions of high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;
• wherein the drawable reticulum of the web is characterized in that it comprises a cohesive fiber matrix capable of increases in void volume upon dry-drawing,
• d) applying the web to a drying cylinder;
• e) drying the web on the drying cylinder;
• f) removing the web from the drying cylinder;
• wherein steps (d), (e) and (f) are performed so as to substantially preserve the drawable fiber reticulum, and
• g) drawing the dried web,
• wherein the web exhibits absorbency suitable for use in tissue and towel products.

A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet comprising:

• a) compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber;
• b) applying the dewatered web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface moving at a transfer surface speed;
• and
• c) fabric-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric, the creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric wherein the fabric is traveling at a fabric speed slower than the speed of said transfer surface, the fabric pattern, nip parameters, velocity delta and web consistency being selected such that the web is creped from the transfer surface and wherein the creping fabric is adapted to contact the transfer surface and applies pressure to the web against the transfer surface such that the fibers of the web are redistributed on the creping fabric to form a web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least (i) a plurality of fiber enriched regions of high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions;
• and
• d) applying vacuum to the web to increase its CD stretch by at least about 5% with respect to a like web produced by like means, but without applied vacuum after fabric creping,
• wherein the web exhibits absorbency suitable for use in tissue and towel products.