A new method to evaluate the hand-feel potential of furnishes for tissue paper products

The human perception of softness is an important yet complex property of hygiene tissue paper products. Softness is a function of the combination of machine technology, chemical additives, and furnish composition. As a result, it is difficult to investigate the influence of single parameters. Because no completely satisfactory method for determining the softness of furnishes is available at the laboratory scale, the influence of different fibrous materials in combination with their treatment cannot be comprehensively investigated. To work toward this possibility, this publication describes the development of a method to obtain reliable results based on laboratory handsheets using a modified tissue softness analyzer (TSA). With the help of basic statistical methods, a procedure was developed that reproducibly distinguished the influence between softwood and hardwood. To demonstrate the potential of this method, it was tested on an industrial tissue machine and the influence of four different furnishes on the softness of the semi-finished product was determined.