Patent ID: 8673115
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: D21H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of making a fibric-creped absorbent cellulosic sheet, the method comprising: (a) forming a nascent web from a papermaking furnish, the nascent web having a generally random distribution of papermaking fiber; (b) transferring the nascent web having the generally random distribution of papermaking fiber to a translating transfer surface that is moving at a transfer surface speed; (c) drying the web, to a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent, including compactively dewatering the web prior to or concurrently with transfer of the web to the transfer surface; (d) fabric-creping the web from the transfer surface at a consistency of from about 30 to about 60 percent utilizing a creping fabric with a patterned creping surface, the fabric-creping step occurring under pressure in a fabric creping nip defined between the transfer surface and the creping fabric, wherein the creping fabric is traveling at a fabric speed that is slower than the speed of the transfer surface, the web being creped from the transfer surface and redistributed on the creping fabric such that the web has a plurality of fiber-enriched regions, having a local basis weight that is higher than a mean basis weight of the sheet, arranged in a pattern corresponding to the patterned creping surface of the fabric; (e) retaining the wet web in the creping fabric; (f) drying the wet web, while the wet web is held in the creping fabric, to a consistency of at least about 90 percent; and (g) drawing the dried web between a first roll operated at a machine direction velocity that is greater than the speed of the creping fabric and a second roll operated at a machine direction velocity that is greater than that of the first roll.