Structured Fabric Discrete Elements Hand Feel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing woven structured fabrics for producing fiber webs, such as tissue and towel products, have limitations in hand feel despite achieving excellent softness, flexibility, and absorbency.
Innovation Solution
A woven fabric design featuring interwoven machine direction (MD) and cross direction (CD) yarns with long flotations of MD yarns forming discrete, raised elements on the web facing side, allowing for a structure that changes low-density areas to high-density areas, enhancing hand feel while maintaining softness, flexibility, and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If woven fabrics have pockets on their web facing side to form low-density areas surrounded by high-density network, then excellent softness, flexibility, and absorbency are achieved, but hand feel deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional pocket structure by creating raised discrete elements instead of depressions. The MD yarns form long flotations that rise above the web facing side, creating high-density discrete elements surrounded by a low-density network, which is the opposite of conventional pocket fabrics. This inversion improves hand feel while maintaining other quality properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating discrete raised elements at specific locations on the web facing side rather than a uniform structure. The long flotations of MD yarns are positioned to form distinct discrete elements that provide localized high-density areas, allowing different regions of the fabric to have different functional characteristics.
2Ease of operation
If long flotations of MD yarns form discrete raised elements on the web facing side, then hand feel is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of flotation length to at least six adjacent CD yarns, which is a specific quantitative threshold. By defining long flotations with this clear parameter, the weaving pattern becomes more manageable and manufacturable while still achieving the desired discrete raised elements that improve hand feel.
Data Source
AI summary
A woven fabric for a fiber web producing machine has a defined machine direction, a cross machine direction, a web facing side, and a machine side. The web facing side is formed by MD yarns that extend substantially in the machine direction and by CD yarns extending substantially in the cross machine direction of the woven fabric. The MD yarns and CD yarns are interwoven with each other and the woven fabric is configured to structure the fiber web produced on the woven fabric. A plurality of adjacent long flotations of MD yarns on the web facing side form together a discrete element that is raised on the web facing side for allowing the woven fabric to structure the fiber web. The term “long flotation” means that the MD yarn passes over at least six adjacent CD yarns on the web facing side of the woven fabric.