Structuring Fabric Having Long Warp Knuckles

Abstract

Described herein is an industrial fabric that exhibits favorable characteristics for the formation of a product thereon, such as tissue paper. The present invention relates to a structuring fabric that has a forming side surface and a machine side surface and comprises interwoven warp and weft yarns. The structuring fabric further comprises at least one long warp knuckle at the forming side surface and at least one weft knuckle near the forming side surface of the fabric.

1 . A structuring fabric, wherein the structuring fabric is a woven fabric comprising:
 (a) a forming side surface and a machine side surface;   (b) a plurality of machine-direction (MD) yarns; and   (c) a plurality of cross-machine direction (CD) yarns arranged in first and second layers, wherein the first layer is on the forming side surface and the second layer is on the machine side surface of the structuring fabric,   wherein at least a portion of the MD yarns are interwoven with the CD yarns such that the MD yarns pass over at least two of the CD yarns of the first layer, thereby forming a long warp knuckle at the forming side surface, and   wherein at least a portion of the CD yarns are interwoven with the MD yarns such that the CD yarns of the first layer pass over at least one of the MD yarns, thereby forming a weft knuckle near the forming side surface of the structuring fabric.   
     
     
         2 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the MD yarns are arranged in two or more layers. 
     
     
         3 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the CD yarns are arranged in three or more layers. 
     
     
         4 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the MD yarns pass over at least three CD yarns of the first layer. 
     
     
         5 . The structuring fabric of  claim 4 , wherein the MD yarns pass over at least five CD yarns of the first layer. 
     
     
         6 . The structuring fabric of  claim 5 , wherein the MD yarns pass over at least seven CD yarns of the first layer. 
     
     
         7 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the CD yarns of the first layer pass over at least two MD yarns. 
     
     
         8 . The structuring fabric of  claim 7 , wherein the CD yarns of the first layer pass over at least three MD yarns. 
     
     
         9 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , comprising one or more woven and/or nonwoven machine-side layers. 
     
     
         10 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric comprises one or more pockets having a CD width of at least one MD yarn diameter. 
     
     
         11 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the fabric comprises one or more pockets having a machine-direction (MD) length of at least one CD yarn diameter. 
     
     
         12 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the structuring fabric is an eTAD fabric. 
     
     
         13 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the forming side surface faces a fibrous web. 
     
     
         14 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the MD yarns comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: carbon, polyamide, rayon, fiberglass, cotton, ceramic, aramid, polyester, metal, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT), cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalic acid (PCTA), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). 
     
     
         15 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the CD yarns comprise a material selected from the group consisting of: carbon, polyamide, rayon, fiberglass, cotton, ceramic, aramid, polyester, metal, polyethylene, polypropylene, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT), cyclohexanedimethanol terephthalic acid (PCTA), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). 
     
     
         16 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the MD yarns are between 0.20 mm-1.1 mm in diameter. 
     
     
         17 . The structuring fabric of  claim 16 , wherein the MD yarns are 0.40 mm in diameter. 
     
     
         18 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the CD yarns are between 0.20 mm-1.1 mm in diameter. 
     
     
         19 . The structuring fabric of  claim 18 , wherein the CD yarns are 0.30 mm in diameter. 
     
     
         20 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the long warp knuckle on the forming side surface has a length between 2.0 mm and 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         21 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the weft knuckle near the forming side surface has a length between 0.40 mm and 1.60 mm. 
     
     
         22 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein a plane difference between a top surface of the long warp knuckle and a top surface of the weft knuckle is up to 0.50 mm. 
     
     
         23 . The structuring fabric of  claim 22 , wherein the plane difference between the top surface of the long warp knuckle and the top surface of the weft knuckle is between 0.25 mm and 0.50 mm. 
     
     
         24 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein a plane difference between a top surface of the long warp knuckle and a top surface of the weft knuckle is between 0.05 mm and 1.0 mm. 
     
     
         25 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the structuring fabric comprises one or more pockets having a MD length between 1.0 mm and 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         26 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the structuring fabric comprises one or more pockets having a CD width between 0.3 mm and 2.0 mm. 
     
     
         27 . The structuring fabric of  claim 6 , wherein the MD yarns pass over at least 18 CD yarns of the first layer. 
     
     
         28 . The structuring fabric of  claim 8 , wherein the CD yarns of the first layer pass over at least 18 MD yarns. 
     
     
         29 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , comprising a pocket depth wherein a plane difference between a top surface plane of a long warp knuckle or portion thereof defining a pocket length or width boundary and a top surface plane of one or more of a weft yarn, a warp yarn, a warp knuckle, or a weft knuckle defining a pocket bottom comprises a range of depths between 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm. 
     
     
         30 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the MD and/or CD yarns is non-flat and/or non-smooth. 
     
     
         31 . The structuring fabric of  claim 1 , wherein the first layer of CD yarns comprises first and second CD yarns. 
     
     
         32 . The structuring fabric of  claim 31 , wherein the first CD yarns differ from the second CD yarns in diameter, shape, and/or material. 
     
     
         33 . A structuring fabric, wherein the structuring fabric is a woven fabric comprising:
 (a) a forming side surface and a machine side surface;   (b) a plurality of machine-direction (MD) yarns arranged in first and second layers, wherein the first layer is on the forming side surface and the second layer is on the machine side surface of the structuring fabric; and   (c) a plurality of cross-machine direction (CD) yarns,   wherein at least a portion of the MD yarns are interwoven with the CD yarns such that the MD yarns of the first layer pass over at least two of the CD yarns, thereby forming a long warp knuckle at the forming side surface, and   wherein at least a portion of the CD yarns are interwoven with the MD yarns such that the CD yarns pass over at least one of the MD yarns of the first layer, thereby forming a weft knuckle near the forming side surface of the structuring fabric.