Abstract: A nonwoven fabric having alternating stripes of high fiber density and low fiber density has fibers of at least 1/2 inch in length and fibers of less than 1/2 inch in length, preferably under 1/4 inch in length. The fabric is made in such a manner as to produce parallel twistless ribbon strands in the high fiber density areas containing both short and long fibers. The twistless ribbon strands are bridged together by the long fibers so as to form the nonwoven fabric. A majority of the bridging long fibers have at least a portion of their length included in adjacent twistless ribbon strands; said ribbon strands having at least one strand width space between said ribbon strands.

Abstract: A dehydration element for the fourdrinier part of a paper making machine is a metal or plastic twill-weave binding fabric in which the longitudinal (warp) threads bound to the woof threads are closely spaced to each other up to the point where the longitudinal threads are tightly pressed together. The result is a substantially closed mesh in which water drawn from the pulp passes through the element by capillary action in the fine channels and diagonal openings of the cloth. Preferably the cloth is an unevenly bound twill-weave with its paper side unifilarly bound and its machine side multifilarly bound.