Soft absorbent sheets, structuring fabrics for making soft absorbent sheets, and methods of making soft absorbent sheets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016355982-A1
Application number	US-201615175949-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 8, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Soft absorbent sheets, structuring fabrics for producing soft absorbent sheets, and methods of making soft absorbent sheets. The soft absorbent sheets have a plurality of domed regions or projected regions extending from a surface of the sheets, and connecting regions form a network between domed regions. The domed and projected regions include indented bars that extend across the domed and projected regions in a substantially cross machine direction of the absorbent sheets. The absorbent sheets can be formed by structuring fabrics that have long warp yarn knuckles.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An absorbent cellulosic sheet that has a first side and a second side, the absorbent sheet comprising:
a plurality of domed regions projecting from the first side of the sheet, each of the domed regions including a plurality of indented bars extending across a respective domed region in a substantially cross machine direction (CD) of the absorbent sheet, wherein the domed regions are extended substantially along the machine direction (MD) of the absorbent sheet; and connecting regions forming a network interconnecting the domed regions of the absorbent sheet.

2 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein each of the domed regions includes about six indented bars.

3 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the domed regions include eight indented bars.

4 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the domed regions extend a distance of about 2.5 mm to about 3.0 mm in the MD of the absorbent sheet.

5 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein each of the domed regions is positioned adjacent to two other domed regions such that a line of staggered domed regions extends substantially in the MD of the absorbent sheet.

6 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the indented bars are spaced about 0.5 mm apart in the MD of the absorbent sheet.

7 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the domed regions have a substantially rectangular shape.

8 . An absorbent cellulosic sheet that has a first side and a second side, the absorbent sheet comprising:
a plurality of domed regions projecting from the first side of the sheet, wherein each domed region is positioned adjacent to another domed region such that a staggered line of domed regions extends substantially along the machine direction (MD) of the absorbent sheet; and connecting regions forming a network interconnecting the domed regions of the absorbent sheet, wherein each connecting region is substantially continuous with two other connecting regions such that substantially continuous lines of connecting regions extend in a stepped manner along the MD of the absorbent sheet.

9 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 8 , wherein each of the domed regions includes a plurality of indented bars extending across the domed regions in the cross machine direction (CD) of the absorbent sheet.

10 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 9 , wherein at least some of the domed regions includes eight indented bars.

11 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 8 , wherein each of the domed regions extends a distance of about 2.5 mm to about 3.0 mm in the MD of the absorbent sheet.

12 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 8 , wherein the domed regions are rectangular-shaped.

13 . An absorbent cellulosic sheet that has a first side and a second side, the absorbent sheet comprising:
a plurality of domed regions projecting from the first side of the sheet, wherein each of the domed regions extends (i) a distance of at least 2.5 mm in the machine direction (MD) of the absorbent sheet, and (ii) includes an indented bar extending across the domed region in a substantially cross machine direction (CD) of the absorbent sheet, and wherein the indented bar extends a depth of at least about 45 microns below adjacent portions of the domed region; and connecting regions forming a network interconnecting the domed regions of the absorbent sheet.

14 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein each of the domed regions includes a plurality of indented bars.

15 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein the indented bars extend a depth of about 90 microns below the adjacent portions of the domed regions.

16 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein the domed regions extend a distance of about 1.0 mm in the CD of the absorbent sheet.

17 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein each of the domed regions extends at least about 2.5 mm to about 5.5 mm in the MD of the absorbent sheet.

18 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein the indented bar extends a depth of about 45 microns to about 160 microns below adjacent portions of the domed region.

19 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 13 , wherein each domed region is positioned adjacent to another domed region such that staggered lines of domed regions extend substantially along the MD of the absorbent sheet, and
wherein each connecting region is substantially continuous with two other connecting regions, such that substantially continuous lines of connecting regions extend in a stepped manner along the MD of the absorbent sheet.

20 . An absorbent sheet according to claim 19 , wherein connecting regions extending in the MD of the absorbent sheet extend a distance of about 0.5 mm in the CD of the absorbent sheet.

21 . A method of making an absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
forming an aqueous cellulosic web on a structuring fabric in a papermaking machine, the structuring fabric including knuckles formed on warp yarns of the structuring fabric, with the knuckles having a length in the machine direction (MD) of the absorbent sheet and a width in the cross machine direction (CD) of the absorbent sheet, wherein a planar volumetric density index of the structuring fabric multiplied by the ratio of the length of the knuckles to the width of the knuckles width is at least about 43; dewatering the cellulosic web on the structuring fabric; and drying the cellulosic web to form the absorbent cellulosic sheet.

22 . A method according to claim 21 , wherein the length of the knuckles in the MD of the structuring fabric is about 2.2 mm to about 5.6 mm.

23 . A method according to claim 21 , wherein a pocket density of the structuring fabric is about 10 cm −2 to about 47 cm −2 .

24 . A method according to claim 21 , wherein the planar volumetric density index of the structuring fabric multiplied by the ratio of the length of the knuckles and the width of the knuckles width is about 43 to about 50.

25 . An absorbent cellulosic sheet that has a first side and a second side, the absorbent sheet comprising:
projected regions extending from the first side of the sheet, the projected regions extending substantially in the machine direction (MD) of the absorbent sheet, each of the projected regions including a plurality of indented bars extending across the projected regions in a substantially cross machine direction (CD) of the absorbent sheet, and the projected regions being substantially parallel to each other; and connecting regions between the projected regions, the connecting regions extending substantially in the MD.

26 . An absorbent sheet according to 25 , wherein the sheet has a basis weight of less than about 27 lbs/ream and a caliper of less than about 180 mils/8 sheets.

27 . An absorbent sheet according to 25 , wherein the sheet has a basis weight of greater than about 35 lbs/ream and a caliper of greater than about 225 mils/8 sheets.

28 . A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising:
compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a web having a consistency of about 30 percent to about 60 percent; creping the web under pressure in a creping nip between a transfer surface and a structuring fabric, the structuring fabric including knuckles formed

Assignees

• Georgia Pacific Consumer Products Lp

Inventors

• Sze Daniel Hue Ming
• Fan Xiaolin
• Chou Hung-Liang
• Oriaran Taiye Philips
• Anand Farminder Singh
• Baumgartner Dean Joseph
• Miller Joseph Henry

Classifications

• D21H27/002 Primary

  Tissue paper; Absorbent paper (D21H21/22, D21H27/02, D21H27/20 take precedence; toilet paper A47K10/00; absorbent pads for physiological fluids A61L15/16; making on paper-making machines D21F11/00) · CPC title

• D21F11/14

  Making cellulose wadding, filter or blotting paper · CPC title

• B31F1/16

  by elastic belts {(B31F1/18 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• D21F7/12

  Drying · CPC title

• D21H11/00 Primary

  Pulp or paper, comprising cellulose or lignocellulose fibres of natural origin only · CPC title