Patterned Additive Creping for Soft, Absorbent Tissue Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tissue products face a challenge in balancing absorbency with the application of additives that enhance properties like bulk and softness, as hydrophobic additives can interfere with fluid absorption during the creping process.
Innovation Solution
A method of applying an additive composition to a tissue sheet in a pattern using a topographical surface with elevations, allowing for controlled deposition and minimizing interference with liquid absorption, while also creping the sheet to enhance properties like bulk and softness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If an additive composition is applied to the tissue sheet during creping, then bulk and softness are improved, but liquid absorption is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies additive composition to specific localized areas of the tissue sheet rather than uniformly across the entire surface. This creates zones of enhanced bulk and softness while preserving untreated areas that maintain high liquid absorption capacity, thus resolving the contradiction between improving tactile properties and maintaining absorbency.
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue sheet is divided into treated and untreated regions through the creping process with patterned additive application. This segmentation allows different functional zones to coexist on the same product, with additive-enhanced areas providing bulk and softness while untreated areas provide liquid absorption, eliminating the need to choose between conflicting properties.
2Strength
If additive composition is applied uniformly across the tissue sheet, then bulk and softness are maximized, but liquid absorption is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniform application, the additive composition is applied locally to specific regions of the tissue sheet during creping. This selective localization ensures that bulk and softness enhancements are achieved only where needed, while other regions retain their natural absorbent properties, thus maintaining overall product reliability for liquid absorption tasks.
3Strength
If hydrophobic additives are used to enhance softness, then softness is improved, but fluid absorption is interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
Hydrophobic softening additives are applied only to localized areas of the tissue sheet rather than uniformly. This creates soft, comfortable zones where the hydrophobic additive provides tactile benefits, while adjacent untreated zones maintain hydrophilic characteristics necessary for fluid absorption, thus resolving the contradiction between softness and absorbency.
Solution Approach 2:
The tissue sheet is functionally segmented into hydrophobic soft zones and hydrophilic absorbent zones through selective additive application during creping. This spatial segmentation allows the product to deliver both softness comfort and liquid absorption functionality without one property compromising the other.
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
The method ensures that the tissue sheet maintains effective liquid absorption while benefiting from enhanced properties such as increased bulk and softness, achieved through controlled additive distribution and creping, without compromising absorbency.
Implementation Method 1
an additive composition is applied to a creping surface... The tissue web is then pressed against the creping surface while being supported by the topographical surface. The elevations on the topographical surface form contact areas between the tissue web and the creping surface.
Implementation Method 2
The tissue web is then creped from the creping surface. During the creping process, the additive composition is transferred to a surface of the tissue web forming deposits.
Implementation Method 3
The additive composition can comprise any suitable composition that at least lightly adheres the tissue web to the creping surface
Data Source
AI summary
Tissue sheets are disclosed containing an additive composition. The additive composition is applied to the tissue sheet during a creping process in a controlled manner such that the additive composition forms deposits on the sheet separated by untreated areas. In one embodiment, the additive composition is applied to a creping surface. A wet tissue sheet is then transferred to the creping surface by a topographical surface containing elevations. The elevations press the tissue sheet against the creping surface. When creped from the surface, the additive compositions transfers to the tissue sheet according to where the elevations were located on the topographical surface.