Composite forming fabric

Abstract

A composite forming fabric comprising a paper side layer having a paper side surface, a machine side layer having a bottom wear side surface, and a plurality of pairs of first and second interchanging yarns, wherein: the paper side layer and the machine side layer each comprise warp yarns and weft yarns woven together; said paper side layer and said machine side layer each having a predetermined repeat of the weave pattern in the cross-machine-direction; each pair of first and second interchanging yarns having at least two segments in the paper side layer within each repeat of the weave pattern, said segments providing an unbroken weft path in the paper side surface, with each succeeding segment being separated in the paper side surface of the paper side layer by at least one paper side layer transitional warp yarn; at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns within each repeat of the weave pattern being binder yarn pairs, each binder yarn in each binder yarn pair binding together the paper side layer and the machine side layer, and at least one pair of first and second interchanging within each repeat of the weave pattern being top weft/binder yarn pairs for stiffening the fabric and binding together the paper side layer and the machine side layer of the fabric.

1 . A composite forming fabric comprising a paper side layer having a paper side surface, a machine side layer having a bottom wear side surface, and a plurality of pairs of first and second interchanging yarns, wherein: 
 the paper side layer and the machine side layer each comprise warp yarns and weft yarns woven together;    said paper side layer and said machine side layer each having a predetermined repeat of the weave pattern in the cross-machine-direction;    each pair of first and second interchanging yarns having at least two segments in the paper side layer within each repeat of the weave pattern, said segments providing an unbroken weft path in the paper side surface, with each succeeding segment being separated in the paper side surface of the paper side layer by at least one paper side layer transitional warp yarn;    at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns within each repeat of the weave pattern being binder yarn pairs, each binder yarn in each binder yarn pair binding together the paper side layer and the machine side layer, and    at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns within each repeat of the weave pattern being top weft/binder yarn pairs for stiffening the fabric and binding together the paper side layer and the machine side layer of the fabric.    
   
   
       2 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of the interchanging yarn pairs are binder yarn pairs.  
   
   
       3 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of the interchanging yarn pairs are top weft/binder yarns pairs.  
   
   
       4 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns is a weft yarn/weft yarn pair.  
   
   
       5 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of pairs of first and second interchanging yarns is weft yarn/weft yarn pairs.  
   
   
       6 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 2 , wherein at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns is a weft yarn/weft yarn pair.  
   
   
       7 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of pairs of first and second interchanging yarns is weft yarn/weft yarn pairs.  
   
   
       8 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 3 , wherein at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns is a weft yarn/weft yarn pair.  
   
   
       9 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 3 , wherein a plurality of pairs of first and second interchanging yarns is weft yarn/weft yarn pairs.  
   
   
       10 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said at least two segments of at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns has a different length than at least one other segment of said at least two segments of said at least one pair of first and second interchanging yarns.  
   
   
       11 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said at least two segments of each pair of first and second interchanging yarns has a different length that at least one other segment of said at least two segments of each pair of first and second interchanging yarns.  
   
   
       12 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the binder yarns in the pairs of first and second interchanging yarns float under at least two wear side machine direction yarns in a region underlying at least one of said at least two segments.  
   
   
       13 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 12 , wherein said at least two wear side machine direction yarns are adjacent to each other.  
   
   
       14 . The composite forming fabric of  claim 12 , wherein said at least two wear side machine direction yarns are spaced apart by at least one wear side machine direction yarn.