Through-Air Drying Fabric Design for High-Bulk Smooth Tissue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tissue manufacturers face challenges in producing rolled tissue products with high bulk, firmness, and surface smoothness while maintaining acceptable cost and quality, as improving one property often compromises others, such as bulk and smoothness.
Innovation Solution
The use of a through-air drying fabric with a three-dimensional design element on the manufacturing belt creates a tissue web with high surface smoothness, low stiffness, and improved bulk, achieved by structuring the web-contacting surface with elevations and landing areas that enhance caliper and bulk without compromising smoothness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the basis weight of tissue sheets is increased to provide high-quality product, then product quality is improved, but achieving high roll bulk becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The through-air drying fabric introduces a three-dimensional structure with elevations and landing areas, transforming the traditionally two-dimensional tissue web into a multi-layered structure. This dimensional change allows the tissue to achieve high bulk (15-25 cc/g) while maintaining high basis weight (35-60 gsm), as the vertical architecture created by the fabric's 3D features enables volume expansion without proportionally increasing mass.
2Volume of stationary object
If the tissue roll is wound loosely to increase roll bulk, then roll bulk is improved, but firmness decreases and the roll becomes easily deformed
Solution Approach 1:
The tissue web functions as a composite structure formed by the interaction between the tissue fibers and the through-air drying fabric's three-dimensional features. The fabric's elevation patterns create a reinforced architectural framework that provides both bulk and structural integrity. This composite approach enables the tissue roll to maintain firmness (8-12 mm) while achieving high roll bulk (14-18 cc/g), as the 3D fabric structure acts as an internal support system.
3Shape
If the surface topography is altered to provide smoothness, then surface smoothness is improved, but bulk may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The through-air drying fabric creates local variations in surface properties by incorporating both elevations and landing areas in specific patterns. The landing areas provide smooth contact surfaces (S90 < 105 μm) while the elevations create the three-dimensional bulk structure. This local differentiation of surface qualities allows the tissue to simultaneously achieve high smoothness in user-contact areas and high bulk through the overall 3D architecture.
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 results in tissue products with increased roll bulk, improved firmness, and surface smoothness, maintaining strength and tactile properties, such as geometric mean tensile strength and surface smoothness values, while reducing nesting and enhancing roll structure.
Implementation Method 1
forming a textured tissue product using a through-air drying fabric having a three dimensional design element
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides high bulk tissue products, as well as an apparatus and methods for manufacturing the same. The tissue products provided herein not only have high bulk, but they also have improved surface smoothness, particularly compared to tissue products of similar basis weights.