Paper machine clothing, method for producing same, and nonwoven fabric

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11208764-B2
Application number	US-201816648302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A clothing for a machine for producing a fibrous web, especially a paper, cardboard, tissue or cellulose pulp web. The clothing has a basic structure with a top side and a running side as well as a nonwoven support at least on one side. The nonwoven support has a functional zone, which extends over more than 50 μm in the thickness direction of the clothing and which includes a first portion and a second portion of nonwoven fibers. The nonwoven fibers of the first portion are formed of, or include, a polyurethane, especially a thermoplastic polyurethane, while the nonwoven fibers of the second portion are a polymer material not including a polyurethane. The first portion makes up between 10 wt. % and 60 wt. %, of the functional zone. There is also described a method for production and a suitable nonwoven fabric.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A clothing for a machine for producing a fibrous web, the clothing comprising:
a basic structure having a top side, a running side, and a nonwoven support at least on one side;
said nonwoven support having a layer being a functional zone that extends over more than 50 μm in a thickness direction of the clothing and includes a first portion and a second portion of nonwoven fibers;
said nonwoven fibers of said first portion containing a polyurethane, and said nonwoven fibers of said second portion consisting of a polymer material not including a polyurethane;
said first portion making up between 10 wt. % and 60 wt. % of said functional zone; and
the polyurethane material of said nonwoven fibers of said first portion having a hardness between 35 Shore D and 85 Shore D.

2. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibers of said first portion consist of a thermoplastic polyurethane.

3. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said first portion makes up between 20 wt. % and 45 wt. % of said functional zone.

4. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said polyurethane material of said nonwoven fibers of said first portion has a hardness between 50 Shore D and 85 Shore D.

5. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said functional zone extends in the thickness direction for less than 5 mm.

6. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibers of said first portion have a fiber fineness between 30 dtex and 80 dtex.

7. The clothing according to claim 6 , wherein said nonwoven fibers of said first portion have a fiber fineness between 50 dtex and 70 dtex and said nonwoven fibers of said second portion have a fiber fineness between 20 dtex and 70 dtex.

8. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibers of said second portion have a fiber fineness between 10 dtex and 80 dtex.

9. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said first portion and/or said second portion comprise nonwoven fibers with different fiber fineness.

10. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein between 15 g/m 2 and 250 g/m 2 of nonwoven fibers of said first portion are provided in said nonwoven support.

11. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein between 100 g/m 2 and 1500 g/m 2 of nonwoven fibers of said second portion are provided in said nonwoven support.

12. The clothing according to claim 1 , which comprises at least one further functional zone in which said first portion amounts to less than 10 wt. %, and which is disposed between said basic structure and said functional zone and/or between said functional zone and a surface of the clothing.

13. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said functional zone forms a surface of the clothing.

14. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven support is provided on a side of said basic structure disposed for touching the fibrous web.

15. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said basic structure consists of a flat weave.

16. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said basic structure is a flat weave with end-side edges and having a length substantially twice a length of the clothing in a finished condition, said flat weave being folded at folds and defining folded portions that are deposited back onto the flat weave to form a two-layer structure, and wherein seam loops are formed at said folds, enabling the basic structure to be merged with a pintle to form an endless structure.

17. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said basic structure comprises a flat weave that is narrower than said basic structure in a width direction and said basic structure is formed by spiraling said flat weave.

18. The clothing according to claim 1 , wherein said nonwoven fibers of said first portion consist of polyurethane.

19. A method for producing a clothing for a machine for producing a fibrous web, the method comprising:
i) providing a basic structure;
ii) providing a functional nonwoven layer, the functional nonwoven layer to extend over more than 50 μm in a thickness direction of the clothing and including a first portion and a second portion of nonwoven fibers, the nonwoven fibers of the first portion containing a polyurethane, the nonwoven fibers of the second portion consisting of a polymer material not including a polyurethane, and the first portion making up between 10 wt. % and 60 wt. % of the functional nonwoven layer; and
the polyurethane material of the nonwoven fibers of the first portion having a hardness between 35 Shore D and 85 Shore D; and
iii) securing the functional nonwoven layer, and optionally securing further nonwoven layers, to the basic structure by needling.

Assignees

• Voith Patent Gmbh

Inventors

• Eberhardt Robert
• Klaschka Susanne
• Walkenhaus Hubert

Classifications

• D21F7/08 Primary

  Felts · CPC title

• D21F7/083 Primary

  Multi-layer felts · CPC title

• D21F7/10

  Seams thereof · CPC title