Patent ID: 8877011

Claim:
A method of forming a fiber web, comprising: introducing a first fiber mixture and a second fiber mixture into a flow zone of a system for forming a fiber web; flowing the first fiber mixture in a lower portion of the flow zone; flowing the second fiber mixture in an upper portion of the flow zone, wherein the lower and upper portions of the flow zone are separated by a lamella; disrupting laminar flow of a fiber mixture in the lower portion or upper portion of the flow zone using a flow impediment positioned in the lower portion or upper portion of the flow zone, respectively; collecting fibers from the first and second fiber mixtures in a fiber web forming zone; and forming a fiber web comprising fibers from the first and second fiber mixtures, wherein the fiber web comprises a gradient in at least one of fiber diameter, fiber type, fiber composition, fiber length, pore size, material density, basis weight, solidity, a proportion of a component, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, and conductivity across a portion, or all, of a thickness of the fiber web.