Abstract: A seam is provided for a papermaker's felt for use in a papermaker's machine. The seam joins a felt having at least four layers of machine direction yarns in which at least two layers at each end of the felt are finished in loops, and the remaining layers are finished with or without loops. The loops of the ends to be joined are mated, and a pintle is inserted to close the seam.

Abstract: Papermaker's felt employing compressible knit yarn in a woven base to provide a durable resiliency so as to provide vibration dampening and delay the occurrence of crushing during papermaking.

Abstract: An improved loop construction for use in closing the ends of an open papermaker's fabric is disclosed. The loop constuction, as disclosed, is elongated to achieve a minimum loop length of at least three millimeters. The loop is formed by an arcuate portion which defines the free end of the loop and adjacent portions which are interwoven with the fabric body in a repeated pattern. As a result of the disclosed construction, the continuous arcuate portion of the seaming loop is positioned vertically with respect to a plane through the horizontal plane of the fabric. The continuous arcuate portion of the loop is within 15.degree. of the perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the fabric.

Abstract: A seam is provided for a papermaker's felt for use in a papermaker's machine. The seam joins a felt having at least four layers of machine direction yarns in which at least two layers at each end of the felt are finished in loops, and the remaining layers are finished with or without loops. The loops of the ends to be joined are mated, and a pintle is inserted to close the seam.

Abstract: A spiral seam construction for lower caliper, multi-layer papermaking fabrics. The spiral seam members have a plurality of headcurves which are interconnected by a plurality of winding legs. Each of the winding legs has a cross-section in which the vertical dimension is less than the horizontal dimension, whereby it is possible to use a larger seaming pintle without an associated increase in seam caliper. The winding legs determine the maximum caliper of the seam, and the seam does not exceed the final fabric caliper.

Abstract: Papermaker's felt employing compressible knit yarn in a woven base to provide a durable resiliency so as to provide vibration dampening and delay the occurrence of crushing during papermaking.

Abstract: An improved loop construction for use in closing the ends of an open papermaker's fabric is disclosed. The loop construction, as disclosed, is elongated to achieve a minimum loop length. The loop is formed by an arcuate portion which defines the free end of the loop and adjacent crossing portions which are interwoven with the fabric body in a repeated pattern. As a result of the disclosed construction, the continuous arcuate portion of the seaming loop is positioned vertically with respect to a plane through the horizontal plane of the fabric and the crossing portions are within 15.degree. of the perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the fabric.

Abstract: Process of manufacturing a papermakers' wet press felt for the wet end and a felt produced thereby with one or two flaps (14, 10), made of two batts (12, 13) needled onto each side of the felt (1), which ends in two rows of loops (4, 5) that are intended to seam the felt, characterized in that the rows of loops (4, 5) are joined during needling by temporary, removable connecting means (6) placed in relation to the flap(s) (14, 16) which have a greater width than the widths of the finally cut flaps (14, 16).The flap(s) (14, 10) are not damaged during the needling operation and are easily loosened without damage by removing the spiral (7) which form the temporary joining means (6).

Abstract: An apparatus for a pintle yarn/guide wire combination used to close a seam in a papermakers fabric. The pintle yarn/guide wire combination is wound upon a spool which is partially enclosed by a cover. The spool and cover can be reversibly rotated with respect to each other to allow unwinding or respooling of the pintle yarn/guide wire combination during the seaming operation.

Abstract: A tessellated papermakers fabric and elements for making the fabric are disclosed. The elements are formed so as to have male or projection members which interlock with female or recess members. In alternative embodiments, interlocking elements which further utilize pintles for reinforcement of the connection are disclosed. The elements may be molded, extruded, dye stamped or laminated. The desired permeability is provided by forming apertures in the elements and can provide for air and moisture permeability characteristics which vary throughout the fabric. In addition, tessellated fabrics according to the instant invention may be subsequently processed to produce surface or embossing characteristics.

Abstract: Process of manufacturing felts in which a batt is fastened to a felt on its one or two sides, said batt (5) consisting of one or several layers of fibers and characterized in that said layers are obtained from carding the fibers and possibly preneedling them by passage through a preneedling machine with low density needles, said layers being densified by at least three passages through a needling machine (1) with high needle density, and at least one of those passages going in the opposite direction of the others, said batt (5) created in such a way then being fastened to the felt (10).The wet felt obtained in this way has very good cohesion and very high resistance, and the felt is neither damaged nor filled with fibers, which provides it with good air and water permeability.The invention also relates to a machine to densify batts.

Abstract: A papermaker's wet press felt constructed entirely from a plurality of layers of non-woven batt fibers which have layers of polymeric mesh interposed between and alternating with the batt layers. The mesh layers may be a thermoplastic material having a lower melt temperature than the batt fibers. The mesh layers and batt layers may be fixed by needling, sewing, heating or some combination thereof.

Abstract: A papermaker's wet press felt is formed from a flat woven base fabric having the crimped warp yarns of the fabric weave oriented in the lengthwise machine running direction. The warp yarns are formed into seaming loops at the ends of the base fabric which are joined so as to form an endless felt. At least one layer of non-woven batt material is affixed to the base fabric, typically by needling. The flat woven base fabric including from at least 30 to 50 machine direction, crimped warp yarns per inch for a single layer weave and at least 60 to 100 machine direction, crimped warp yarns per inch for a multi-layer weave.

Abstract: An industrial fabric of woven monofilament threads comprised of a melt extrudable polyaryletherketone having improved high temperature resistance and hydrolysis resistance at elevated temperatures, such fabric exhibiting a high modulus of elongation making it particularly suitable for high temperature-high speed conveying applications in various industrial processing.

Abstract: The present invention provides a solution to the prior art problem of producing a high density papermakers batt fabric or felt which may be secured to an undamaged under layer in an economic manner. The present invention provides these improvements by providing a batt which is comprised of a non-woven low melt scrim to which the batt material is initially needled. Subsequent to producing a batt of the required density, the batt may, if desired, be needled or adhered to an under layer fabric. The completed felt will be subjected a heat pressing operation which will elevate the temperature of the batt to a temperature above the softening temperature of the scrim but below the melting point of the batt fibers. In this manner, the batt and under layer fabric are unified to produce a multilayer papermakers felt with minimum effort and disruption of the under layer.

Abstract: A pintle unit and method of closing a seam in a papermakers felt which provides a tight closure along the full length of the seam. The seam is closed with a pintle unit made up of a plurality of pintle elements which are tapered and pulled into the seam to interact in a wedging fashion. The pintle elements are tapered for a length at least as long as the width of the seam so that when wedged in the seam a pintle unit of substantially uniform size across the full width of the felt is provided.

Abstract: An improved wet press felt for a papermaking machine which includes a woven base layer, a layer of monofilament fiber mesh oriented adjacent the woven base and at least one layer of non-woven batt material affixed to the combination of woven base layer and mesh layer. When a plurality of layers of non-woven batt material are employed, a layer of mesh is oriented between adjacent batt layers.

Abstract: An improved fabric seam for flat woven fabric is disclosed. The improved seam utilizes polyaryetherketones and preferably polyetheretherketones in forming the seaming elements, comprising coil elements and a joining element.

Abstract: A papermaker's multilayer fabric having at least top and bottom layers of machine direction yarns which are interwoven with cross machine direction yarns systems to establish a first interwoven fabric layer which is bound to a bottom layer fabric with the two being united by interweaving cross machine direction yarns from the bottom fabric layer in the upper fabric layer. The effective pressing surface area of the first fabric layer being equal to or greater than (x+1)+(0.5y). Wherein (x+1) defines the contribution of the upper fabric layer to the effective pressing surface area and the contribution of the binding yarn is defined by the y factor of the equation. Accordingly, the total effective pressing area is defined by the contributions of the upper ply and the binding yarns.

Abstract: There is described a cloth for draining and drying paper webs, comprising a fabric formed by warp threads and weft threads. Said cloth further comprises a top layer of interlaced lengthwise strips and weft threads, at least one upper weft thread part passing underneath one or a plurality of lengthwise strips, being connected to the fabric by at least one warp thread thereof, which has been passed between said upper weft thread part and the lengthwise strip or strips.