Patent ID: 6902787

Claim:
An industrial fabric having a preselected permeability, including at least a first ply, consisting of a first set of tiles, and a second ply, consisting of a second set of tiles, attached to each other, each of which plies includes a plurality of tiles, wherein: (a) each tile includes integral jointing structures incorporated into the tile at primary selected locations in a first symmetrical pattern which also defines a grid pattern on at least one surface of the tile; (b) each tile in the first set of tiles includes at least a first sequence of apertures of the same size and shape incorporated into the tile at secondary selected locations in a second pattern; (c) each tile in the second set of tiles includes at least a second sequence of apertures of the same size and shape incorporated into the tile at tertiary selected locations in a third pattern; (d) the jointing structures incorporated into each tile comprise formed structures which engage with, and interlock with, each other to provide a joint between superposed tiles; (e) in the assembled fabric the first symmetrical pattern extends in the plane of each ply; (f) in the assembled fabric the second and third patterns both extend in the plane of each ply; (g) at least one pattern chosen from the group consisting of the second pattern and the third pattern is asymmetrical with respect to the symmetry axes of the first pattern; and (h) the superposed plies are jointed together with the first symmetrical pattern and second pattern in the first ply oriented relative to the first symmetrical pattern and the third pattern in the second ply to provide an assembled fabric with the preselected permeability.