Felt with seam for paper manufacture

Abstract

In a seam felt for paper manufacture, seam loops formed at opposite ends of a length of ground fabric to which layers of batt fiber are integrated by needle punching, are formed as groups of loops composed of machine direction yarns. When the opposite ends of the ground fabric are brought together, the groups of loops are intermeshed in an alternating arrangement to form a common bore for receiving a seam thread by which the intermeshed groups of loops are secured together. The loops of each group can be held together by adhesive bonding, or by heat adhesion if the machine direction yarns are core-in-sheath composite fibers wherein the sheath has a lower melting point than that of the core.

1 . A seam felt for paper manufacture comprising a ground fabric having two ends meeting each other so that the felt forms a closed loop, the direction around the loop being a machine direction, and each of said ends being formed with seam loops intermeshed with seam loops formed at the other of said ends and forming a common bore, a seam thread extending through said common bore formed by the intermeshed seam loops, thereby connecting said ends of the fabric together, and batt fiber layers intertwiningly integrated with said ground fabric by needle punching, wherein the intermeshed seam loops comprise groups of seam loops formed on each of said ends, said groups formed on the respective ends of the ground fabric being intermeshed with one another in alternating relationship, and wherein each said group is composed of a plurality of seam loops on the same end of the ground fabric arranged in side by side relationship without seam loops formed on the other end of the ground fabric interposed between any of the seam loops of said group. 
   
   
       2 . A seam felt for paper manufacture according to  claim 1 , wherein each said group of seam loops is composed of at least two but not more than three seam loops. 
   
   
       3 . A seam felt for paper manufacture according to  claim 1 , wherein the seam loops forming each said group are integrated by adhesive bonding. 
   
   
       4 . A seam felt for paper manufacture according to  claim 1 , wherein the seam loops are formed by yarns of the ground fabric extending in the machine direction, each said yarn being a core-in-sheath composite fiber comprising sheath surrounding a core, wherein the melting temperature of the sheath is lower than the melting point of the core, and wherein the seam loops in each of said groups are integrated by fusion of their sheaths. 
   
   
       5 . A seam felt for paper manufacture according to  claim 1 , wherein each said group of seam loops is composed of at least two but not more than three seam loops, and wherein the seam loops forming each said group are integrated by adhesive bonding. 
   
   
       6 . A seam felt for paper manufacture according to  claim 1 , wherein each said group of seam loops is composed of at least two but not more than three seam loops, and wherein the seam loops are formed by yarns of the ground fabric extending in the machine direction, each said yarn being a core-in-sheath composite fiber comprising sheath surrounding a core, wherein the melting temperature of the sheath is lower than the melting point of the core, and wherein the seam loops in each of said groups are integrated by fusion of their sheaths.