High bulk tissue sheets and products
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manufacturers face challenges in producing rolled tissue products with high bulk and firmness while maintaining acceptable cost, as increasing basis weight reduces roll bulk and achieving high roll bulk compromises sheet stiffness and absorbency.
Innovation Solution
The use of high topography fabrics in both transfer and through-air drying positions during the production of single-ply tissue webs, resulting in improved bulk, reduced stiffness, and enhanced roll firmness through the uncreped through-air drying process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the basis weight of tissue sheets is increased to provide greater absorbency and hand protection, then sheet quality improves, but roll bulk decreases since fewer wraps fit at the same roll weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the tissue sheet by controlling the through-air drying process to achieve high bulk (greater than 15 cc/g) while maintaining moderate basis weight (25-35 gsm). This parameter optimization allows more wraps per roll, increasing roll bulk without sacrificing sheet quality or absorbency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a highly porous tissue structure with sheet bulk greater than 15 cc/g through controlled through-air drying. This porous architecture provides high absorbency and softness while maintaining low basis weight, thereby allowing more sheet wraps per roll and increasing overall roll bulk.
2Volume of moving object
If tissue sheets are produced with high bulk to increase roll bulk, then roll diameter increases, but roll firmness decreases making rolls easily deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes multiple parameters simultaneously: sheet bulk (greater than 15 cc/g), basis weight (25-35 gsm), and sheet strength (geometric mean tensile less than 1000 g/3''). This balanced parameter set produces rolls with improved roll bulk while maintaining adequate roll firmness through the inherent strength properties of the engineered tissue structure.
3Ease of manufacture
If single-ply tissue webs are produced to reduce cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but softness and absorbency characteristics are reduced compared to multi-ply webs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a highly porous single-ply structure with sheet bulk greater than 15 cc/g through controlled through-air drying on high topography fabrics. This porous architecture provides multi-ply-like softness and absorbency characteristics while maintaining single-ply simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical structure of single-ply tissue by optimizing sheet bulk (greater than 15 cc/g) and surface properties through through-air drying. These parameter changes give single-ply webs multi-ply comparable softness and absorbency without the complexity and cost of multi-ply construction.
4Quantity of substance
If tissue sheets are produced with sufficient basis weight for absorbency, then sheet quality improves, but achieving high roll bulk becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent decouples the traditional relationship between basis weight and roll bulk by introducing sheet bulk as an independent optimized parameter. Through controlled through-air drying, sheets achieve high bulk (greater than 15 cc/g) at moderate basis weights (25-35 gsm), maximizing the number of wraps per roll while maintaining sheet quality and absorbency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the creation of single-ply tissue rolls with increased bulk and firmness, maintaining sheet softness and strength, thereby addressing the contradictory parameters of large diameter, good firmness, and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
forming a through-air-dried tissue using high topography fabrics in both the transfer and through-air drying positions
Data Source
AI summary
Spirally wound paper products are disclosed having desirable roll bulk, firmness and softness properties. The rolled products can be made from single ply tissue webs formed according to various processes.