Water flow capability measurements for shoe press belts and press felts

Water permeability was used for flow capability analysis of press-section paper machine clothing. Flow capability as function of void volume, varying groove dimensions, for belts and variation in openness for press felts at loads ranging between 1 and 9 MPa was studied. The flow capability is greatly controlled by the structure of the felt. As well, an increased belt groove void volume is beneficial for increased flow-through and increasing the groove depth is more efficient in creating void volume than increasing groove width.