CA2041416A1 - Spinneret - Google Patents

Spinneret

Info

Publication number
CA2041416A1
CA2041416A1 CA002041416A CA2041416A CA2041416A1 CA 2041416 A1 CA2041416 A1 CA 2041416A1 CA 002041416 A CA002041416 A CA 002041416A CA 2041416 A CA2041416 A CA 2041416A CA 2041416 A1 CA2041416 A1 CA 2041416A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
spinneret
face
orifices
section
orifice
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002041416A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Nimet C. Hatcher
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Phillips Petroleum Co
Original Assignee
Phillips Petroleum Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Phillips Petroleum Co filed Critical Phillips Petroleum Co
Publication of CA2041416A1 publication Critical patent/CA2041416A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01DMECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
    • D01D4/00Spinnerette packs; Cleaning thereof
    • D01D4/02Spinnerettes
    • DTEXTILES; PAPER
    • D01NATURAL OR MAN-MADE THREADS OR FIBRES; SPINNING
    • D01DMECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS
    • D01D4/00Spinnerette packs; Cleaning thereof
    • D01D4/04Cleaning spinnerettes or other parts of the spinnerette packs

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Textile Engineering (AREA)
  • Spinning Methods And Devices For Manufacturing Artificial Fibers (AREA)

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure An improved spinneret and method for cleaning the same are disclosed in which the spinneret comprises a flat plate having a plurality of orifices passing therethrough wherein the cross-section of each orifice is uniform throughout the thickness of the spinneret. The spinneret can be cleaned by peeling solidified polymeric material from the inner face and the outer face of the spinneret and thereby removing the solidified polymeric material from each spinneret orifice. This cleaning procedure eliminates the need for high heating techniques or potentially dangerous chemicals.

Description

SPINNERET

Back~round of the Invention This lnvention relates to a method and apparatus for spinning artificial fibers, and is more particularly concerned with improved spinnerets and improved methods of melt spLnning which are accomplished by the utilization of such spinnerets.
Filaments of various polymeric materials such as for example, polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters, etc., are produced by feeding the polymer, which is ~olid and in particulate form, to a screw extruder in which the polymer i8 melted ~nd extrwded through a spinneret. A
splnneret is essentially a plate havlng a plurality of orifices thereln.
The orifices form the molten polymer lnto filaments whlch are then cooled or quenched by a coollng medium, generally conditioned air, and then further processed as known ln the art.
One of the continulng problems in the use of splnnerets ls that ~fter ~pinnlng has been in progress for a period of time, solidifled polymerlc materlal becomes deposlted wlthln the spinneret oriflces and around the orifices on the spinneret face causing blockage or restrlctioD of the spinneret or~flces. Thls blockage or restrlctlon re~ults in deteriorat:Lon of the flber quallty. In order to avoid such deterioration, the spinneret must be changed ~nd cleaned for reuse.
Addltionally, when spinnlng is ~topped for other reasons, such a9 to clean the spin pack filter or to change the spinneret orlfice size or shape, polymeric material will solidify on the faces and wlthin the 2 ~
329l3CA

Grifices of the spinneret thereby cre,ating a need for the spinneret tobe cleaned. The usual method of cleaning the spinneret involves the utilization of high heating or chemical treatment -to remove the adhering polymer. This can be a very expensive and dangerous procedure.

_mmary of the Invention It is one object of the invention to provide a spinneret useful for spinning artifici~l fib~,rs wherein the spinneret c~n be easily cleaned without the use of high heating or chemical treatment.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved method for spinning artificial fibers.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a spinneret having a plurality of circular orifices passing -therethrough wherein the diameter of each orifice is uniform throughout the thickness of the spinneret. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a process is provided for spinning artificial fibers, wherein an improved spinneret is u-tili~ed having a plurality of circular orifices passing therethrough wherein the diameter of each orifice is uniform throughol1t the thickness of the spinneret so as to provide a spinneret that can be ea~ily cleaned without the use of high heating or chemical treatment.

Brief D~ ption of the Drawin8~
FIG. l ls ~n elevation vlew of a spinneret constructed in accordance w1,th the inventlon.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. l.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view more clearly tllustrating the orifice shape within the spinneret of the invention.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectionfll vlew illustrating the orifice shape of a standard spinneret not within the scope of the present invention.

Det~iled Descrtption of_the Invention Referring to the clrawings, specli'ically FIGS. 1, and 2, spinneret lO comprlses a circular plate having an inner face 12 and an 2 ~

outer face 14 and a plurality of oriflces 16 passing through the spinneret 10 from the inner face 12 to the outer face 14. Although a circular shape is preferred in the present invention, the spinneret 10 can have any desired shape.
The number of orifices 16 extending through the spinneret 10 can range from 1 to several thousand depending upon the desired number of fibers to be produced by the spinneret 10. The spinneret shown in FIG. 1 has 100 orifices.
The orifices 16 of FIG. 1 are equally spaced upon the corners of a network of equilateral triangles. Although the spacing configuration is preferred, the orifices 16 can be arranged in any pattern that wlll allow even cooling of polymeric material to all parts of the outer face 14 o-f the spinneret 10. Possible patterns include concentric annuli, rectalinear rows of holes, scatter arrangements, or clusters of holes with relatively wide spaces in between.
Generally, both the inncr face 12 and the outer face 14 of the splnneret 10 have a highly polished surface. This highly polished surface allows polymeric material thst builds up on inner the face 12 and the outer face 14 during spinning to be easily peeled away from the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 in order to clean the spinneret 10.
The spinneret 10 can have any desired thickness. The thickness Or the spinneret lO between the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 ls generally in the range of from about 1 millimeter to about 10 millimeters. Preferably, this thickness Is in the range of from about 3 millimeters to about 5 millimeters.
The cross-section of each orifice 16 must remain constant throughout the thickness of the spinneret 10. This is critical in order for the spinneret 10 to be cleaned by peeling solidified polymeric material from the outer face 14 of the spinneret 10. If the orifice cross-section is not unlform throughout, solidified polymeric material will remain within the orifice when solidified polymeric material is peeled from the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 of the spinneret 10.
Therefore, for orifices ha~ing circular cross-sections, the diameter of the orifice cross-section must be equal at every posltlon between the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 oE the spinneret 10, as shown in FIG. 2 and more clearly illustrated in FIG. 3.
~ lthough a generally circular cross-section is presently preferred, the orifice cross-section can have any desired shape if this cross-section shape and si~e remain constant throughout the thickness of the spinneret 10.
For the preferred circular cross-section, the orifices 16 can have any desired diameter. The diameter of each preferred orifice 16 is generally in the range of from about 0.175 millimeters to about 0.750 millimeters. Preferably, the diameter is in the range of from about 0.4 millimeters to about 0.6 millimeters. The diameter of the orifices may be larger, depending upon the thickness of the spinneret 10. In all cases it is important that the surface area of the interior wall of each orifice 16 is kept to a minimum! so that the contact area between the spinneret 10 and the solidified polymeric material is also kept to a minimum. The less contact area between the spinneret 10 and the solidified polymeric material, the easier it will be to separate the solidified polymeric material from the spinneret 10 by a peeling motion.
In operation of the spinneret 10, polymeric material witl build up over a period of time and solidify on the inner face 12, the outer face 14 and within the orifices 16. This can eventually cause blockage or restriction of the orLfices ]6 to occur which will bring about deterioration of the fLber quality. To avoid such deterioration, the spinneret 10 must periodically be removed, cleaned, and replaced.
One important feature of the spinneret 10 of the present invention is that it i9 capablc of being cleaned without the use of high heating techniques or the use of chemicals. The solidified polymeric material is peeled away from the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 of the spinneret 10. The solidified polymeric material will peel away more easily if the inner face 12 and the outer face 14 are highly polished.
When the solidlfied polymeric material is peeled away from the inner face 12 and the outer surface 14 Lt will pull with it the solified polymeric material remaining within most of the orifices 16. The orifice shape of the present invention, flS shown In FIG. 3, allows the solidified polymeric materifll remfllning wLthin most of the orifices 16 to be pulled through the inner surface 12 and the outer surface 14 in one piece. This peeling step will remove the solidified polymeric material from approximately 80% to 90% of the orifices 16.
The solidified polymeric material is removed from the remaining 10% to 20~n of the oriflces by use of a steel pin having approxlmately the same diame-ter as that of the orifices 1~. The steel pin is pushed through each orifice 16 tha-t has solidifed polymeric materi~l remaining in it after the peeling step one by one until all orifices are clear. This two-step process results in a clear spinneret, free from solidified polymeric material, without the need for expensive, high hea-ting techniques or potentially harmful chemicals.
FIG. 4 shows a spinneret orifice not within the scope of the present invention. This type of orifice is generally known and commonly used in the spinneret art. The orifice extends through the spinneret thickness from the inner face 18 -to the outer face 20. The orifice has a circular cross-section, however, the orifice does not have a uniform dlameter throughout the thickness of the spinneret. The orifice contains two sections, a capillary section 22 and a counterbore section 24. The capillary section is adjacent to the outer face 20 of the spinneret but is shorter in length than the spinneret thickness. The cflplllary sectlon 22 generally has a d:tamete,r in the range from about 0.175 millimeters to about 0.750 millimeters. The length to diameter xatio of ths capillary section 22 is gensrally between 1 and 5.
The counterbore sectLon 24 extend~ between the lnner face 18 and the capillary section 22. The diameter of ths coullterbore section 24 is greater than the diameter of the captllary section 22. The oxlflce cross-section is sometimes shaped to give a gradual rather than abrupt reduction in diameter between the counterbore section 24 and the capillary section 22 to avoid flow discontinuities.
A spinnere-t having orifices as shown in FIG. 4 cannot be cleaned by the method of the present inventton. The orLfice of FIG. 4 has a larger dlameter neax the inner fnce 18 than at the outsr face 20.
Therefore, solt(lifed polymeric material within the orifice cannot be pulled through from the outer face 20 by peeling th~ solidifed polymerlc material away from the outer face 20 because the diameter of the orifics 2 ~

at the outer face 20 ;s smaller than the diameter of -the solidified polymeric material remaining in -the counterbore section 24. Also~ steel pins could not be used to push solidified polymeric material from the orifice because of the diameter si~e differential within the orifice.
The spinneret of the present invention is useful to form filaments of mos-t any material which is capable of existing as a viscous fluid. Generally, thermoplastic polymers are employed that form viscous fluids upon heating, such as for example, polyolefins, polyamides, polyesters and poly(arylene sulfides).
It will be seen that the method and apparatus described above provides advantages for spinning artificial fibers, notably in the increased ease of cleaning the spinneret without the need for high heating or potentially harmful chemicals.

Claims (12)

THAT WHICH IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A spinneret having a first face and a second face and a plurality of orifices passing through said spinneret from said first face to said second face wherein said orifices have a uniform cross-section throughout the thickness of said spinneret between said first face and said second face.
2. The spinneret of claim 1, wherein said orifices have a generally circular shaped cross-section.
3. The spinneret of claim 2, wherein said orifices have a circular shaped cross-section.
4. The spinneret of claim 1, wherein said first face and said second face of said spinneret comprise smooth polished surfaces.
5. The spinneret of claim 1, wherein said spinneret has a uniform thickness between said first face and said second face in the range of from about 1 millimeter to about 10 millimeters.
6. The spinneret of claim 1, wherein said spinneret has a uniform thickness between said first face and said second face in the range of from about 3 millimeters to about 5 millimeters.
7. A method for spinning artificial fibers comprising melting and extruding a polymer through a spinneret to form filaments, then quenching the filaments, wherein said spinneret has a first face and a second face and a plurality of orifices passing through said spinneret from said first face to said second face, wherein said orifices have a uniform cross-section throughout the thickness of said spinneret between said first face and said second face.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said orifices have a generally circular shaped cross-section.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein said orifices have A
circular shaped cross-section.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein said first face and said second face of said spinneret comprise smooth polished surfaces.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein said spinneret has a uniform thickness between said first face and said second face in the range of from about 1 millimeter to about 10 millimeters.
12. The method of claim 7, wherein said spinneret has a uniform thickness between said first face and said second face in the range of from about 3 millimeters to about 5 millimeters.
CA002041416A 1990-09-19 1991-04-29 Spinneret Abandoned CA2041416A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US58533590A 1990-09-19 1990-09-19
US07/585,335 1990-09-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2041416A1 true CA2041416A1 (en) 1992-03-20

Family

ID=24341005

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002041416A Abandoned CA2041416A1 (en) 1990-09-19 1991-04-29 Spinneret

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0476642A3 (en)
JP (1) JPH04240202A (en)
KR (1) KR920006546A (en)
CA (1) CA2041416A1 (en)

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS602704A (en) * 1983-06-16 1985-01-09 Toa Nenryo Kogyo Kk Spinneret for melt spinning and its preparation
DE3508031A1 (en) * 1984-03-15 1985-09-26 Barmag Barmer Maschinenfabrik Ag, 5630 Remscheid Melt-spinning spinneret for high-molecular thermoplastics

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0476642A2 (en) 1992-03-25
KR920006546A (en) 1992-04-27
EP0476642A3 (en) 1992-05-20
JPH04240202A (en) 1992-08-27

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FZDE Discontinued
FZDE Discontinued

Effective date: 19931029