By adjusting the flow of air into the beater chamber of a picker lapper so that more air is delivered to the sidewall sections than to the center of the chamber, laps of textile fibers are produced which are heavier in the center sections than at their edge sections.

A method for forming discrete fibrous pads including the steps of entraining fibers in air to form an air-suspension of fibers and directing the suspension selectively to different predetermined regions of a pad-formation assembly to form discrete fibrous pads on the assembly.

Apparatus for forming fibrous pads include a pad-formation assembly having spaced, three-dimensional pad-receiving compartments; adjacent compartments being separated by air-impermeable regions. Each compartment has the shape of a fibrous pad to be formed therein and is defined by a lower air-permeable surface and air-impermeable sidewalls extending outwardly from the air-permeable surface. Sidewall sections are movable relative to the lower surface to aid in releasing formed pads from each of the compartments. In one preferred embodiment, sidewall sections are also moveable relative to each other to enhance the releasibility of the formed pads from the compartments. Drive means moves the pad-formation assembly to direct a substantially linear forming run of the assembly through a pad forming region. The pad forming region includes a fiberizing means for forming an air suspension of fibers, and a vacuum means disposed behind the forming run for creating a partial vacuum to direct the air suspension of fibers into the compartments whereat the air is pulled through the lower surface, and the fibers are deposited within the confines of the pad-receiving compartments. Air-impervious masking means can be disposed between the vacuum means and the forming run for selectively masking different predetermined sections of the compartments to the passage of air generated by the vacuum means to thereby form discrete fibrous pads, each of which has a predetermined region with a weight of fibers per unit area therein which is different than the weight of fibers per unit area in another predetermined region of the pad. A method for forming discrete fibrous pads, each of which has a predetermined region with a weight of fibers per unit area therein which is different than the weight of fibers per unit area in another predetermined region of the pad. Fibers are entrained in air to form an air suspension of fibers, and the air suspension of fibers is directed selectively into the different predetermined sections of the pad-receiving compartments to form the fibrous pads. Preferably, the air suspension of fibers is directed into the different predetermined sections of the pad-receiving compartments at different, non-overlapping times to substantially completely form a predetermined region of each pad having a given weight of fibers per unit area therein substantially independently of the formation of another and different predetermined region having a different weight of fibers per unit area therein.

Apparatus for continuously converting dried cellulosic fibrous sheet material into a dispersion of individual fibers in air and thereafter forming said individual fibers into an airfelt.

A web or structure is formed by feeding separate supplies of fibrous material into contact with two separate lickerins that are parallel to each other and rotated toward each other. The fibers from the two lickerins pass through a mixing zone and are accumulated on a moving conveying screen that is moved parallel to the axes of the lickerins. Segmented baffle plates may be inserted into the mixing zone to control the lateral or cross-sectional composition of a web formed by the fibers accumulated on the screen. A segmented feed may be used to advantageously deliver different fiber materials at different rates to each lickerin. Radially layered composite web structures having circular cross-sections may be formed with the same apparatus by forming the conveying screen into a U-shape and selectively controlling the air flow through the screen.