Abstract
Existing mathematical models describing lateral movement of webs such as paper or plastic film assume that the entire width of the web is carrying tension or that the web is capable of supporting compressive stresses. For many webs this is not true. A mathematical theory describing the lateral movement of baggy webs that do not support compressive stresses has been derived. It is shown that the mechanics of these webs are described by a nonlinear second-order differential equation for which a numerical solution has been developed. Results show that the lateral deflection of baggy webs is affected significantly by tension at the lower levels of tension