GB1075982A - Apparatus for relaxing filamentary material - Google Patents

Abstract

1,075,982. Relaxing filamentary material. AMERICAN CYANAMID CO. March 3, 1965 [Aug. 17, 1964], No. 30899/66. Divided out of 1,075,981. Heading B5B. [Also in Division D1] Apparatus for continuously relaxing endless lengths of a synthetic or artificial filamentary material comprises an elongate chamber having an opening at each end for passage through the chamber of the filamentary material, means for feeding endless lengths of filamentary material through the chamber, inlet means for introducing hot gas at high velocity into the chamber through an inlet at one end of the chamber, and baffle means for suitably directing hot gas entering the chamber. The baffle means comprises a tubular member disposed coaxially within the chamber and defining with the chamber an annular passage for hot gas entering the chamber through the gas inlet, the bore of the tubular member providing for passage of the filamentary material into or out of the chamber, and a number of open-ended tubes of short length and small diameter disposed in a ring within the annular passage adjacent, but downstream of, the gas inlet. As illustrated in Fig. 1, filamentary material, for example a tow 13, is passed by inlet rollers 15 and outlet rollers 16 through elongated chamber 11 which is in the form of a tube of circular cross-section and which has a gas inlet and a gas outlet at opposite ends thereof; conduits 20 and 21, which include blower 18 to impart the required velocity to the gas and heater 19 to heat the gas, connect the gas outlet to the gas inlet to provide recirculation of the gas. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the end of the chamber adjacent the gas inlet 40 is closed by closure plate 24 which has central opening 23 and from which extends tubular baffle member 25; a number of open-ended baffle tubes 26 are disposed in a ring within the annular passage formed between the elongated chamber and the tubular baffle member. A baffle plate 28 provided with a small orifice 29 may be disposed across the chamber downstream of the tubular baffle member. As illustrated in Fig. 2 (not shown), the end of the chamber adjacent the gas outlet also has a baffle arrangement but comprising only a depending tubular member analogous to tubular baffle member 25; however, if desired, a ring of open-ended tubes analogous to open-ended baffle tubes 26 may be provided. Each end of the chamber is closed by a cover-plate 35 which has a central slot 36 for passage of the filamentary material and which is secured to the closure plate by bolts 38 passing through slots 37. The chamber may be disposed with its longitudinal axis either vertical or other than vertical, for example horizontal; the hot gas and filamentary material may be in either cocurrent or countercurrent contact, the filamentary material moving either upwardly or downwardly through the chamber. It is preferred for the chamber to be vertical and for both the hot gas and the filamentary material to move upwardly in cocurrent contact; such relaxing treatment is described more fully in Specification 1,075,981.