Abstract: A dryer felt comprising a plurality of spiral coils disposed in a common plane and arranged in a side-by-side relationship with adjacent coils being intermeshed and joined together in a hinged relationship by a hinge yarn. Stuffers are positioned within selected coils for predetermined distances to provide a fabric having a predetermined permeability profile across the width and along the length of the fabric.

Abstract: A papermakers fabric in which a plurality of load control yarns are provided within the interior of the fabric. The load control yarns are not crimped during fabric manufacture, pass through the fabric in the machine direction, and are made from yarns containing Kevlar or similar low stretch, high strength type yarns and protected from abrasion, heat, and hydrolysis.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to a dryer fabric belt used in the dryer section of a papermaking machine. The dryer fabric belt is subjected to tension forces in a machine direction by a stretch roll over which the belt travels, and is substantially free from tension forces in the cross-machine direction. The dryer fabric belt includes a plurality of hinge yarns, each extending in the machine direction continuously throughout the length of the dryer fabric. A plurality of spring coils are disposed in a common plane in a side by side relationship. Each of the coils extends in the machine direction. Adjacent coils of the spring coils are intermeshed and held together in intermeshing relationship by at least one of the hinge yarns.

Abstract: A belt structure including a carrier formed from a plurality of intermeshing spiral coils with adjacent coils interconnected by hinge yarns. The spiral coil carrier is plated under tension and heated to cause the spiral coils to extend longitudinally to define spaced upper and lower substantially flat surfaces. A yieldable, porous batt of synthetic fibrous material is needled into and onto one surface of the carrier. As an alternative structure, a yieldable, porous, open cell foam is applied to the spiral coil carrier to fill the interior thereof, and to extend outwardly from one surface to form an outer foam layer. The belts are particularly suitable as pressure and transporting belts in a corrugating machine, but can also be used in wet press and dryer sections of papermaking machines.

Abstract: An in-line pintle seam for use with a pintle to join adjacent ends of a papermakers belt or the like and a method for producing such a seam. Basically, the seam comprises a spiral and a stuffer pick which are held in place by sewing the face ends of the papermakers belt around the spiral and stuffer pick and then between the center and back layers of the fabric in the case of a three-layer fabric. Once this part of the seaming is completed, the back ends are brought around the spiral and stuffer pick and sewn between the face and center layers of the fabric in much the same way as the face ends. Thus, the spiral and stuffer pick are held to the edge of the fabric by all of the warp yarns. In the case of a two-layer fabric, the ends are sewn back into the fabric between the face and back layers and are pulled through the fabric so that they appear on the back surface of the fabric.

Abstract: A papermakers fabric woven in accordance with a preselected weave pattern. The fabric has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a center plane interposed between the top and bottom surfaces. The fabric is woven using high melting point or high degradation temperature synthetic warp yarns and similarly high melting point or high degradation temperature synthetic top and bottom weft yarns. The weft yarns in the center plane are lower melting point synthetic yarns. During heat stabilization, the fabric is exposed to sufficient heat to cause the low melting point stuffer yarns to melt and flow, and to reform in such a way that they fill to a desired extent the voids in the weave pattern where they have been inserted, thus, reducing permeability. The flow of the molten synthetic stuffer pick around and between the unmelted warp and weft yarns bonds the whole structure together, thereby improving fabric stability. Finally, because the melted stuffer pick acts as a monofilament yarn, the fabric tends to run cleaner.

Abstract: A dryer felt or fabric with a reduced potential for creating static electricity when running on a papermaking machine. The fabric is woven from a number of machine direction and cross-machine direction yarns with selected machine direction and/or cross-machine direction yarns comprising a blend of anti-static yarn combined with other yarns. The anti-static yarn may take the form of a staple, continuous filament or monofilament and may be a carbon content acrylic anti-static fiber, a silver coated nylon continuous filament, a nylon monofilament coated with carbon, or an acrylic fiber carbon coated. After being woven, the fabric is typically resin treated with a heat-resistant resin.

Abstract: The present invention is directed at modifying a resin-treated dryer fabric in such a way that its scaffolding effect is reduced or eliminated. Further, according to the teachings of the present invention, the resin used to coat the dryer fabric is itself made self-extinguishing, such that even if the fabric acts as a scaffold, the resin will not burn. Even further, a degree of flame retardancy is imparted to the base fabric in those cases where the base fabric itself is not self-extinguishing. A dryer fabric in which the woven fabric material is treated with an admixture of flame retardant material and resin, such that the flame retardant and resin are added to either the yarns of the fabric or the woven fabric at the same time. The admixture may take the form of a solution, a suspension, a colloidal suspension, a dispersion or an emulsion of flame retardant material and resin.

Abstract: A dryer felt having a soft, bulky top surface and comprising at least a top surface, which is defined by a plurality of machine direction yarns and a plurality of cross machine direction yarns interwoven according to a desired weave pattern. A preselected number of the yarns of the top surface are encapsulated yarns, the number being chosen to ensure that a major portion of the top surface is soft and bulky. Each of the encapsulated yarns comprises a straight, twistless monofilament core and a close-fitting encapsulating sheath surrounding the full length of the core.

Abstract: A dryer felt comprising a plurality of machine direction and cross machine direction yarns interwoven to provide a multiple-plane fabric having at least a base plane, a top plane and an intermediate plane positioned between the base plane and the top plane. The base plane is defined by a first plurality of cross machine direction yarns, the top plane is defined by a second plurality of the cross machine direction yarns, and the intermediate plane is defined by a third plurality of the cross machine direction yarns. In one embodiment, encapsulated stuffer yarns constituted the third plurality of the cross machine direction yarns. In another embodiment, encapsulated filling yarns constitute the third plurality of the cross machine direction yarns. In all embodiments, each of the encapsulated yarns comprises a straight, twistless monofilament core and a close-fitting encapsulating sheath surrounding the full length of the core.

Abstract: A dryer felt comprising a multiple-plane fabric having at least a base plane, a top plane and an intermediate plane positioned between the base plane and the top plane. The base plane is defined by a first plurality of cross machine direction yarns; the top plane is defined by a second plurality of cross machine direction yarns; and the intermediate plane is defined by a third plurality of cross machine direction yarns. In one embodiment encapsulated stuffer yarns constitute the third plurality of cross machine direction yarns. In another embodiment, encapsulated filling yarns constitute the third plurality of cross machine direction yarns.

Abstract: A dryer felt having a soft, bulky top surface and comprising at least a top surface, which is defined by a plurality of machine direction yarns and a plurality of cross machine direction yarns interwoven according to a desired weave pattern. A preselected number of the yarns of the top surface are encapsulated yarns, the number being chosen to ensure that a major portion of the top surface is soft and bulky.

Abstract: A dryer felt comprising a plurality of warp yarns and a plurality of weft yarns interwoven according to a selected weave pattern. A characteristic of the dryer felt being that at least one of the yarns comprises a core fiber made from a synthetic monofilament, a synthetic multifilament, or a synthetic fiber, a first sheath formed by wrapping a first high temperature resistant aramid fiber around the core fiber in a first direction, a second sheath formed by wrapping a second high temperature resistant aramid fiber around the first sheath in a direction different from the first direction, and a covering formed by coating the second sheath with a high temperature resistant resin.