A fabric or belt for a papermaking machine including a first layer that defines a web contacting surface and a second layer that supports the first layer. The first layer is made of extruded polymer and includes a plurality of first elements aligned in a first direction, a plurality of second elements aligned in a second direction and extending over the plurality of first elements, and a plurality of open portions defined by the plurality of first and second elements. The second layer is made of woven fabric. The first layer is bonded to the second layer so that the first layer extends only partially through the second layer and an interface formed between the first and second layers includes bonded and unbonded portions and airflow channels that extend in a plane parallel to the first and second layers.

A papermaker's fabric includes a series of repeat units, wherein each of the repeat units includes: a set of top machine direction MD yarns having a first diameter; a set of bottom MD yarns having a second diameter larger than the first diameter; a set of auxiliary bottom MD yarns having the first diameter; a set of top cross machine direction CMD yarns interwoven with the top MD yarns to form a top fabric layer; a set of bottom CMD yarns interwoven with the bottom MD yarns and the auxiliary bottom MD yarns to form a bottom fabric layer; and a set of stitching yarns arranged in pairs, wherein at least one of the stitching yarns of the pair interweaves with the top and bottom fabric layers.

A fabric or belt for a papermaking machine including a first layer that defines a web contacting surface and a second layer that supports the first layer. The first layer is made of extruded polymer and includes a plurality of first elements aligned in a first direction, a plurality of second elements aligned in a second direction and extending over the plurality of first elements, and a plurality of open portions defined by the plurality of first and second elements. The second layer is made of woven fabric. The first layer is bonded to the second layer so that the first layer extends only partially through the second layer and an interface formed between the first and second layers includes bonded and unbonded portions and airflow channels that extend in a plane parallel to the first and second layers.

The invention provides woven papermaking fabrics having a machine direction (MD) axis and a cross-machine direction (CD) axis, a machine contacting surface and a sheet contacting surface where the sheet contacting surface comprises a plurality of twill woven protuberances defining valleys there between. Generally the protuberances are skewed relative to a principle axis of the fabric, such as the MD axis and have a non-zero element angle. The protuberances generally have an upper surface defining the upper most surface plane of the web contacting surface of the fabric. Further, the protuberance upper surface is substantially planar providing the protuberances with a height that is substantially constant along the length of the protuberance.

The present invention relates to papermaking fabrics useful in the manufacture of paper products, such as tissue paper. Particularly this invention relates to a woven papermaking fabric that includes a stabilized weave providing a textured contacting surface. The woven papermaking fabric includes a plurality of warp and shute filaments woven together to provide at least one protuberance on the web contacting side of the fabric that extends longitudinally over at least five shute filaments. The at least one protuberance is stabilized by including an offset shute float weave pattern configured such that a majority of the shute filaments forming the at least one protuberance are woven in an anti-nesting configuration.

A composite forming fabric for a papermaking machine woven according to a repeating fabric weave pattern is provided. The fabric includes a paper side (PS) layer having a PS surface, with the PS layer including PS warps and PS wefts interwoven in a first repeating pattern, and a machine side (MS) layer having a MS surface, with the MS layer including interwoven MS warps and MS wefts. A plurality of pairs of binder weft yarns each including first and second binder weft yarns that are interwoven with the PS warps and the MS warps to bind the PS and MS layers together in the composite forming fabric. In each pattern repeat of the fabric weave pattern at least three of the MS warps pass under each MS weft, where said at least three of the MS warps are co-located adjacent to one another with a further one of the MS warps separating a first of the at least three warps from the others of said at least three warps, and each of the MS warps interlaces with at least two non-adjacent ones of the MS wefts.

A deflection member that includes a reinforcing member and a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member.

Provided are woven papermaking fabrics having a web contacting surface having protuberances formed from woven warp and shute filaments. The protuberances, which may be oriented in the machine direction (MD) converge, merge or diverge and may be arranged to form a pattern. In certain instances the protuberance may comprise a first MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about 0.5 to about 15 degrees, a second MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about 0.5 to about 15 degrees wherein the first and second protuberances converge at a convergence area to form a third MD oriented protuberance having an element angle from about 15 to about 15 degrees.

A deflection member that includes a reinforcing member and a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member.

A deflection member that includes a reinforcing member and a plurality of tiles fastened to the reinforcing member.