Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet includes a papermaking-fiber reticulum. The papermaking-fiber reticulum includes a plurality of fiber-enriched regions that are oriented in a cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet. The fiber-enriched regions have (i) a local basis weight and (ii) papermaking fibers that are oriented in the CD of the sheet. The papermaking-fiber reticulum also includes a plurality of linking regions that link corresponding ones of the fiber-enriched regions together in linking directions, the linking regions having (i) basis weights that are lower than those of the corresponding ones of the fiber-enriched regions and (ii) papermaking fibers that are oriented in the linking directions.

Abstract: A method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet. A cellulosic web is prepared from an aqueous papermaking furnish. The web is fabric-creped. The fabric-creping step forms a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least: (i) a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The drawable reticulum includes a cohesive fiber matrix capable of increasing in void volume upon drawing. The creped web is dried, while substantially preserving the drawable reticulum, to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step increases the void volume of the dried web.

Abstract: A method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet. A cellulosic web is prepared from an aqueous papermaking furnish. The web is fabric-creped. The fabric-creping step forms a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least: (i) a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The drawable reticulum includes a cohesive fiber matrix capable of increasing in void volume upon drawing. The creped web is dried, while substantially preserving the drawable reticulum, to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step increases the bulk of the dried web.

Abstract: A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet. A papermaking furnish is compactively dewatered to form a nascent web. The nascent web is applied to a translating transfer surface and is fabric-creped from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric. The creping fabric travels at a fabric speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface. The nascent web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping fabric to form a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights. The creped web is dried to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step includes drawing the dried web between a first draw roll and a second draw roll.

Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet includes a papermaking-fiber reticulum. The paper-making-fiber reticulum includes a plurality of fiber-enriched regions that are oriented in a cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet, and the fiber-enriched regions have (i) a local basis weight and (ii) papermaking fibers that are oriented in the CD of the sheet. The paper-making-fiber reticulum further includes a plurality of linking regions that link corresponding ones of the fiber-enriched regions together in linking directions. The linking regions have (i) basis weights that are lower than those of the corresponding ones of the fiber-enriched regions and (ii) papermaking fibers that are oriented in the linking directions.

Abstract: A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber orientation, applying the nascent web having the apparently random distribution of fiber orientation to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed, belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30% to about 60% utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt, the web being creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web with a reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights.

Abstract: An absorbent fabric-creped cellulosic web includes a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The fiber-enriched regions comprise a plurality of microfolds with fold lines extending transverse to the machine direction (MD).

Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet having a variable local basis weight includes a patterned papermaking-fiber reticulum provided with (a) a plurality of generally machine direction (MD) oriented elongated densified regions of compressed paper-making fibers having a relatively low local basis weight as well as leading and trailing edges, the densified regions being arranged in a repeating pattern of a plurality of generally parallel linear arrays that are longitudinally staggered with respect to each other such that a plurality of intervening linear arrays are disposed between a pair of cross machine (CD) direction aligned densified regions, and (b) a plurality of fiber-enriched, pileated regions having a relatively high local basis weight interspersed between and connected with the densified regions, the pileated regions having crests extending generally in the cross-machine direction of the sheet.

Abstract: A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber, applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed, belt-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping belt, the belt-creping step occurring under pressure of at least 20 pounds per linear inch in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt. The belt is traveling at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface. The web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt.

Abstract: An absorbent sheet of cellulosic fibers includes a mixture of hardwood fibers and softwood fibers arranged in a reticulum having (i) a plurality of pileated fiber enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight each extending a distance in the cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet and interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions that each extend a distance in the machine direction (MD) of the sheet and whose fiber orientation is biased along the direction between pileated regions interconnected thereby. The relative basis weight, degree of pileation, hardwood to softwood ratio, fiber length distribution, fiber orientation, and geometry of the reticulum are controlled such that the sheet exhibits a percent CD stretch that is at least about 2.75 times the machine direction to cross-machine direction (MD/CD) dry tensile ratio of the sheet.

Abstract: A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes applying a jet of papermaking furnish to a forming wire, the jet having a jet velocity and the forming wire moving at a forming wire velocity. The papermaking furnish is compactively dewatered to form a nascent web. The nascent web is applied to a transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed. The nascent web is fabric-creped from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric that is traveling at a fabric-creping speed, the fabric-creping speed being slower than the transfer surface speed, and the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, such that the nascent web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping fabric to form a creped web. The creped web is dried.

Abstract: A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having a random distribution of papermaking fiber, applying the nascent web to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed, fabric-creping the nascent web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping fabric that is traveling at a fabric-creping speed that is slower than the transfer surface speed, the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, such that the nascent web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping fabric to form a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights.

Abstract: A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet includes compactively dewatering a papermaking furnish to form a nascent web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber, applying the nascent web having the apparently random fiber distribution to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed, and fabric-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a patterned creping fabric, the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, the web being creped from the transfer surface and wherein the creping fabric is adapted to contact the transfer surface and applies pressure to the web against the transfer surface such that the fibers of the web are redistributed on the creping fabric to form a web with a drawable reticulum.

Abstract: An absorbent sheet of cellulosic fibers with upper and lower sides includes (i) a plurality of fiber-enriched hollow domed regions on the upper side of the sheet having a relatively high local basis weight, (ii) connecting regions of relatively lower local basis weight forming a network interconnecting the relatively high local basis weight domed regions of the sheet, and (iii) transition areas with upwardly and inwardly inflected consolidated fibrous regions transitioning from the connecting regions into the domed regions.

Abstract: An absorbent fabric-creped cellulosic web includes a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The fiber-enriched regions comprise a plurality of microfolds with fold lines extending transverse to the machine direction (MD).

Abstract: A method of making a belt-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet. A paper making furnish is compactively dewatered to form a dewatered web having an apparently random distribution of papermaking fiber orientation. The dewatered web is applied to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed. The web is belt-creped from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30% to about 60% utilizing a generally planar polymeric creping belt having a plurality of perforations, under pressure, in a belt creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping belt. The belt travels at a belt speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface. The web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping belt to form a web having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights. The web is then dried.

Abstract: An absorbent cellulosic sheet having a variable local basis weight. The sheet includes a papermaking-fiber reticulum having (a) a plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions of a relatively high local basis weight each extending a distance in the cross-machine direction (CD) of the sheet, and (b) a plurality of elongated densified regions of compressed papermaking fibers that interconnect the plurality of fiber-enriched pileated regions. The elongated densified regions (i) have a relatively low local basis weight and each extend a distance in the machine direction (MD) of the sheet, (ii) are arranged in a repeating pattern having leading and trailing edges, such that the elongated densified regions are longitudinally staggered with respect to each other, and (iii) have MD/CD aspect ratios of at least 1.5.

Abstract: A method of making a fabric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet. A papermaking furnish is compactively dewatered to form a nascent web. The nascent web is applied to a translating transfer surface and is fabric-creped from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric. The creping fabric travels at a fabric speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface. The nascent web is creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping fabric to form a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights. The creped web is dried to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step includes drawing the dried web between a first draw roll and a second draw roll.

Abstract: A method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet. A cellulosic web is prepared from an aqueous papermaking furnish. The web is fabric-creped. The fabric-creping step forms a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least: (i) a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The drawable reticulum includes a cohesive fiber matrix capable of increasing in void volume upon drawing. The creped web is dried, while substantially preserving the drawable reticulum, to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step increases the bulk of the dried web.

Abstract: A method of making a cellulosic absorbent sheet. A cellulosic web is prepared from an aqueous papermaking furnish. The web is fabric-creped. The fabric-creping step forms a creped web with a drawable reticulum having a plurality of interconnected regions of different local basis weights including at least: (i) a plurality of fiber-enriched regions of a relatively high local basis weight, interconnected by way of (ii) a plurality of lower local basis weight linking regions. The drawable reticulum includes a cohesive fiber matrix capable of increasing in void volume upon drawing. The creped web is dried, while substantially preserving the drawable reticulum, to form a dried web, and the dried web is drawn. The drawing step increases the void volume of the dried web.