JPH05500240A - Crimped fibers, stuffer box equipment and fiber crimping methods - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] crimped fiber, staff arbor Tux device and fiber crimping method Background of the invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for crimping fibers, particularly for tobacco-containing smoking articles. Crimping fibrillated polyolefin material for use as filter material Regarding things.

Texturizing the fibers, i.e. using the “stuffer box” principle It is known to crimp fibers. Crimping box seals the fibers at a predetermined speed The fiber decelerates rapidly when caused by inward advancement. Therefore, staff The word is nk. Stuffer boxes are typically one of a variety of technologies Therefore, it may have a hinged lid or be provided with a predetermined exit orifice. When the box is filled with fibers and a certain pressure inside the box is reached, the fibers are e.g. pressure overcomes the force holding the hinged lid closed. pressure pushes the fibers out of the exit orifice, or if the lid is fixed. It's time to start. The effect of the various pressures within the box is to crimp the fibers. The primary crimp is When an individual fiber acquires a corrugation, e.g. if the fiber hits the end wall of the stuffer box Or it occurs during sudden deceleration when hitting the crimped fiber in front. Secondary crimps have lost their shape. This occurs when individual fibers begin to fold up within the stuffer box.

Control of the pressure in the stuffer box is such that the pressure controls the regularity and nature of the primary crimp. It is important because it determines the crimp frequency and amplitude. in general, The crimp frequency and amplitude are correlated such that as the frequency increases, the amplitude decreases. pressure control can be achieved by carefully controlling the movement of the hinged lid, or by controlling the box a known predetermined value such that the pressure drop across the is known and provides the required fiber crimp characteristics. This is generally achieved by designing a fixed outlet geometry of the box.

The pressure exerted on the fibers by the lid can be achieved by a variety of techniques; Most commercially available devices use pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders or actuators, or known masses. (weight) or a device that mechanically applies pressure to the lid to a predetermined value using various masses. position is used.

Other factors that influence the nature of the crimp achieved in the fiber are the stuffer box. The overall dimensions and volume of the box, the surface friction characteristics of the inner surface of the box, and the fiber The diameter and surface characteristics of the feed rollers that can be advanced and pushed into the box; the pressure at which the rollers are held together, the temperature of the box, and the properties of the fibers being crimped. , and any child processing of the fibers. Properties of fibers include, for example, chemical composition, fiber Size and shape, fiber size distribution, fiber number, and temperature vary. Pretreatment Techniques include, for example, heat treatment or added lubricants, antistatic agents, oil, moisture, etc. including.

Known stuffer boxes include Implements the principle of relating the width of the stuffer box to the total number of fibers or bundles. Ru. Generally, for every millimeter of box width, the size of the fiber bundle to be crimped is approximately It must be within the range of 1,000 to 18,000 denier (hereinafter referred to as "conventional rule"). ). Therefore, a fiber network with a total linear density of 4oooo denier On the other hand, the stuffer box has a width ranging from approximately 22.2 mm to 40.0 mm. is necessary. Known devices that do not conform to conventional rules have unacceptable crimp characteristics. It was found that it provides a tow to do this.

Also, fibrillated polyolefin films are bloomed. d) Form into a flocculent mass, which is then passed through conventional filter rod manufacturing equipment. fibrillated polyolefin by forming it into a filter rod using It is also known to use thin films and form them into filter materials. These frames A fibrillated polyolefin material is a network of interconnected fibers and strands. These materials have a workpiece and contain fibers connected in a network at only one point. has been subjected to conventional crimping processes with some success.

However, conventional staff for crimping fibrillated polyolefin tow One of the problems with filter boxes is that these materials cannot be used in traditional filter locks. The crimp amplitude and frequency give this material sufficient penetration capacity when formed to The reason for this was that it was insufficient.

Despite years of development efforts, smoking articles, especially cigarettes containing tobacco, Advantages and benefits associated with native cellulose acetate filter materials used in Filters for smoking articles made of fibrillated polyolefin materials are provided. There is no commercial use.

Therefore, suitable filter materials used in smoking articles include conventional cellulose acetate materials Providing suitable filter materials for smoking articles that are more effective, easier to manufacture, and less expensive. Apparatus and method for processing fibrillated polyolefin materials for production There are constant demands for.

Menzu standing power It is an object of the present invention to add crimps to the fibers to increase the number of crimp per inch within the tow material. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved stuffer box for applying to tow.

Another objective is to manufacture fibrillated polyolefins with increased number of crimp per inch. To provide a crimped fiber material including, but not limited to, a crimped film. It's there.

Another object of the invention is to form a filter rod for use in smoking articles. Modifications to impart crimp to tow of fibrillated polyolefin materials suitable for Our goal is to provide quality stuffer boxes. Another purpose is to Before crimping these materials to improve the smoking and taste characteristics of Lutarod. The aim is to provide additives for food.

Another object of the invention is to provide fibrillated polio to form crimps in the tow. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for processing refin film tow.

According to the present invention, fibers are manufactured for the conventional purpose while being significantly different from the conventional rules. having a configuration that provides a fiber bundle with acceptable crimp characteristics suitable for use in A stuffer box is provided. Broadly speaking, the present invention provides from about 200 to about 75 0 denier, more preferably about 500 denier or 400 to 600 denier A stuffer box with an inlet width of 1 mm for each fiber bundle size within the range of the Consists of x.

The stuffer box is preferably provided with a hinged lid, the hinge being It is a self-exhausting air cylinder suitable for swallowing and keeping the lid closed. advance fiber The fibers are moved into a stuffer box using conventional feed rollers that apply pressure to the fibers. can be sent to. For example, this feed roller may be cooled with water or compressed air. It is also possible to provide one.

The stuffer box of the present invention consists of fibrous filaments interconnected in a network configuration. fibers, or primarily interconnected in a network configuration but several fibers together Fiber filaments connected to the network with only one connection point or the same type or of different (i.e. chemically different, different size or arrangement) types of main fibers. A network of interconnected fibers with individual fibers incorporated into a network of network, or additives separate from or coating the fibers containing the network a network of interconnected fibers individually encapsulated, or any of the above. Particularly useful for processing interconnected fiber filaments into combinatorial networks used. More specifically, the stuffer box of the present invention has US Pat. No. 3880173 (corresponding UK Patent No. 1442593). Suitable for fibrillated polyolefin fibers of the listed types; patent disclosures are incorporated herein by reference.

According to another aspect of the invention, the fibers are subjected to the treatment of the stuffer box of the invention. the final texture by adding one of the various chemical additives added before A method of processing said fibers by widening the range of properties of the chromatized fibers. law is provided. Such additives can further improve textured fiber tows. When used in filter tows, especially for cigarettes containing tobacco, smoke and flavor Can be used to affect properties. These additives include oils, fatty acids, etc. stells, waxes, alcohol esters, ionic and nonionic surfactants, or One could choose from the group consisting of mixtures of these surfactants.

The present invention combines an interconnected fiber network of fibers into a cigarette filter tow. It allows for crimping to the desired level for ease of manufacturing, and Cigarettes with filter rods made from such treated and crimped fiber tow gives the ability to influence subjective responses to objects. The present invention further To provide a method of imparting a higher crimp frequency than would be obtained from

The improved properties of the resulting crimped fiber tow are observed from this crimp frequency and amplitude. , where the crimp frequency is completely per unit length in cycles per inch. Crimp amplitude is defined as the number of adjacent peaks and draws in the crimped fiber. is defined as the total vertical distance between adjacent peaks and draws.

The above improvements are made to the fibrillated polyolefin materials made according to the present invention. It is further observed that the improved tow yield of these materials is Conventional filter rods, such as those used to mold tow into filter material It is formed into a filter length using manufacturing equipment.

Tow yield is obtained from the following formula:

Net weight is measured in mg for a given length of filter rod.

The pressure drop is equal to that of water at an air flow rate of 1°050 mβ/min through the filter rod Measured in mm of surface meter. Higher toe yields are more arbitrarily distributed. corresponds to an improved strand network with a closed free end and thus a polyolefin materials will be used more efficiently.

simple lalo The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be explained in the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Let's be clear from. Similar parts in each figure are indicated by similar reference numerals. vinegar.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stuffer box according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view taken along line 2-2 in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a top view of Figure 1, FIG. 4 is an explanatory overview of a fibrillation device incorporating the stuffer box of the present invention. Schematic diagram, FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a stuffer box according to an embodiment of the present invention. be.

Two days a day As shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5, an illustrated embodiment of the invention is applied to a fibrous material 2o. A stuffer box suitable for applying crimps to form a crimped fibrous material 22 10. The stuffer box 10 has an opening of the stuffer box 10. The feed roller 3o that advances the material 2o into the container 8 is in operation. The feed roller 3o The materials 20 are biased together with a sufficient load to maintain frictional contact with the materials 20. advance into the opening of the spacer 10. For example, applying a force of about 0.1 to 5 bar Air cylinders can also be used to bias the rollers 3o together. feed row The la is preferably of approximately the same dimensions and approximately the same width as the opening 8 of box 1o. . However, there are some differences, for example, the upper roller 30 has approximately the same width as the opening 8. The lower roller 3o is slightly wider than the opening 8.

The feed roller 30 may also have an associated cooling mechanism, which mechanism as a compressed air source 34 and vent 32 directed to one or both of the Good (only one vent is shown in the drawing). textile material 20 for its intended use. Other cooling sources for cooling the feed rollers that do not adversely affect the feed rollers, such as water, oil, cooling Air or the like can be used.

The stuffer box 10 was further connected to the box 10 at number 1 14. The lid 12, the base 13, and the cylinder collapses when a selectable level of force is overcome. Self-venting air cylinder 4 capable of exerting selectable levels of force to translate 0. Thus, the hinged lid 12 has a specific crimp for a given fiber. A series that is adjusted to apply a selected level of force to the lid 12 to perform the task. biased and maintained closed by the connector 40. For example, Examples 3 to 9 About 1. A predetermined limit force within the range of OKgf to approximately 50 gf is used.

Optionally, the additive source 5o and the dispensing device 52 are placed in a suitable location, e.g. It can be provided before or after the feed roller 30 (only the former case is shown in the figure). I can do it. The distribution device 52 includes a meter for controlling the rate at which the additive is applied to the fibrous material. Includes weighing device.

The stuffer box 10 has an entrance width W, an entrance height h, and a length β. In order to obtain a predetermined linear density of the fibrous material, as described above and below with respect to the examples, It has been selected. The outlet width is typically about the same as the outlet width, and hinged The exit height of the stuffer box is determined by the desired pressure generated in the stuffer box and the It depends on both the power chosen for the driver 40. This height is generally a fraction of the exit height. 1, for example 63%.

Referring to FIG. 4, the non-fibrillated polyolefin film 100 is After passing through the heating oven 110, a plurality of rows 1 spaced apart around the circumference of the roller 120 by passing over a binned roller 120 having 4 bins (not shown). A fibrillated film 102 is formed. Then fibrillated The film 102 passes under the additive dispensing device 52, passes between the feed rollers 3o, and passes through the main Describing FIG. 5, which is contained in the stuffer box 10 for the crimping operation of the invention. Then, the stuffer box 10 has a base 13, an opening 8, a lid 12, and a hinge 14. It becomes more. The hinge 14 is integral with the upper roller 30, and the upper roller is in an unloaded state. It is shown that there is. The cylinder 40 supports the extension arm 42 in an unloaded state. have When the cylinder 40 is actuated, the arm 42 extends downward and the arm holder is moved to the base 44. As a result, the lid 12 rotates around the hinge 14 and finally touches the base 13. A material 20 (not shown in FIG. 5) is advanced into the stuffer box 10 in contact with the stuffer box 10. However, when the pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold force exerted by the cylinder 40, the lid 12 rotates upward. to release the crimped material 22 (not shown in FIG. 5).

The method and apparatus of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following examples.

Large JL example Each of the following examples was made from a blend of polyolefin materials as follows: It was done.

These materials were mixed and extruded using known blowing techniques to form a 35μ thick film. This film was then slit into large pieces of approximately uniform width and stacked. A 12.4μ thick film was produced by stretching in the machine direction at a stretch ratio of 8:1. stretched The film is then passed around a portion of the circumference of the fibrillated roller provided with the bins. For texturing work to crimp fibrillated film. It was placed in the stuffer box of the present invention.

In each example, the bottle-equipped roller used had a diameter of 190 mm at the roller surface. The inclination angle of the bin is 60° (with respect to the tangent). 18 in each paired column A 0-row bin is provided and two 9o-row bins are formed with staggered spacing. . The diameter of the bottle is 0.4826 mm. Each bottle has a bottle protrusion length of approximately 1.0mm The protruding length of the bottle is the plane passing through the roll axis from the tip of the bottle to the roll surface. Measured within. The two rows extend across the chevron-shaped roller.

Processing parameters for stuffer box configuration and texturing operations , and the resulting crimp parameters are shown in Table I.

Table I (Part 1) - Parameters Parameters Huketsuman ± Large blood dish Dan 00 60000 36000’40000 length mm) Box temperature (℃) 40 20 60 60 Box material Brass Stainless steel Steel Same as right Same as right ■ 2- Parameter Parameters Le 40000 40000 41000 38000 36500 Length mm ) Box temperature (’C) 60 60 60 Ambient temperature 40 Box material St. Brass average crimp frequency 52.8 58, 2 43, 2 57.7 21.4 (cpi) *It was not possible to measure without invalidating the crimp properties. The tow leaving the box is measured. Contains tightly bound bands of fibers that cannot be separated due to

This book, trade name: LW1177, sold by Henkel Nobuko Ltd., Leeds, UK , Kirkstall Street Ribkovaus.

***Trade name Tween 21, from ICE Specialty Chemicals Sales, Creep Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, UK ** Book trade name DS5676, I Distributed by CI Subesharity Chemicals Ltd., Surrey, Leatherhead, Cree, UK. Pu street.

The stuffer box is preferably maintained at a temperature of 20°C to 90°C.

The fibrillated material that enters the stuffer box preferably has a It has a linear density of up to 50,000 denier. Width of stuffer box entrance opening is preferably between 30 and 110 mm, most preferably between 70 and 110 m It is between m.

The product has an average crimp frequency of 43 to 60 crimp per inch and an average amplitude of 320 to 60 crimp per inch. It is 430μ.

Masterbatches used in polyolefin blends instead of polypropylene Made of polyethylene, fillers are titanium dioxide, calcium carbonate, or soot. You can choose from the following groups.

The fibrillated material is then processed using known filter rod forming equipment (e.g. DF-2 model manufactured by Hauni-Uelke-Korba & CO1 in Hamburg, Turkey. formed into a filter rod. In this device the tow has confirmed crimp properties. It is formed into a mass covered with bloomed fluff, and the surrounding surface is removed by the filter manufacturing equipment. Rods with a length of 24.55 mm and a length of 66 mm were processed. Other fees The ruta dimensions were obtained.

Results of evaluation of filter materials composed of fibrillated materials of each of the above examples. The results are shown in Table H. Low yield and high yield values correspond to the minimum point and This curve corresponds to the maximum point of the curve for a uniformly dimensioned filter rod. c) The relative pressure drop is compared to the change in net weight of the material. Example 3 to 9 are all crimped fibrils obtained by the previous device as in Examples 1 and 2. from lylated polyolefin filter rods and from conventional cellulose acetate. Provides tow yields that show a significant improvement over standard filters.

The crimp box of Example 1 is wider than the width according to the known rules, and the height of the entrance of the box is High standard roller diameter, no additives or roller cooling, low yield, low crimp Additives are added to the fibers prior to crimping to create tows characterized by high crimp frequency and high crimp amplitude. It shows the effects and benefits of giving.

The crimping box of Example 2 is configured to have a width specified by known rules, and the opening of the box is Medium height, large diameter and roller cooling but no additives. This created a tow that had welded sections and was useless for smoke filtration applications.

The crimp boxes of embodiments 3 to 9 of the structure according to each embodiment of the present invention are specified by known rules. a width wider than that shown and other parameters shown in Table 1, a high crimp frequency, Low crimp amplitude and high torque suitable for use as filter material in smoking A column characterized by cormorant yield was created.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced with other embodiments than those described above and that the present invention The following examples are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. , it will be understood that the invention is limited only by the scope of the following claims.

F/G, 5 International Search Report PCT/GB 89100906

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. an inlet aperture and an outlet orifice including a first width (w) and a first height (h); and a staff box (10) having a first width (w) of about 200 mm. 1 mm for each fiber bundle with a linear density within about 750 denier. It is within the range based on the linear density of the advancing fiber (20) with a width of tor. , the first height (h) is about 2 to about 20 mm, and the exit orifice is about 2 to about 20 mm. It has a holding state and a releasing state, and the holding state holds the advancing fiber (20) in the above-mentioned state. The fibers are collected in a fur box (10), thereby winding the fibers. The pressure of the accumulated fibers moves forward and the released state reaches a first predetermined critical force. so as to release the crimped fibers (22) from said exit orifice when A device for texturizing fibers advancing a fiber bundle characterized by Place. 2. The exit orifice allows the advancing fiber (20) to pass through the front staff box. (10) Close the exit orifice of the staff box so that the and open so that the crimped fibers (22) are released from the orifice. The lid (12) is connected to the staff box (10). a hinge (14) that connects the lid (14), and an air cylinder (14) that applies an external force to the lid (12). 40), whereby the lid (12) is closed. The pressure inside the staff box (10) causes the first predetermined force to When the air cylinder (40) covers the lid (12), the air cylinder (40) closes the lid (12) and The staff box is rotated to open, thereby reducing the pressure inside the first staff box. an exit orifice through which the crimped fibers (22) pass until the force is reduced below a predetermined value; The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it is provided with:. 3. a device for dispensing additives into the fibrous material before opening said stuff box ( 50, 52). 4. The additives include oil, fatty acid ester, wax, alcohol ester, and ionic interface. selected from a group consisting of an activator and a deionized surfactant or a mixture thereof; 4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that: 5. The first width (w) has a linear density within a range of about 400 to about 600 denier. The fibers (20) are advanced by having a width of 1 mm for each fiber bundle. 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that it is based on the linear density of . 6. The first predetermined force is within a range of about 1.0 to about 50 kgf. A device according to claim 1. 7. The first predetermined force is within a range of about 1.0 to about 50 kgf. The device according to claim 2. 8. The staff box (10) is maintained at a temperature of about 20 to about 90°C. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the device is configured to: 9. a pair of fibers adapted to advance fibers into said stuff box (10); Opposed feed rollers (30) are provided, the feed rollers having a diameter of about 0.1 to about 5.0 Furthermore, it is biased by a second external force within the range of the crowbar so that it works together. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: 10. a pair adapted to advance fibers (20) into said staff box; is provided with opposing feed rollers (30) of approximately 0.1 to and a second external force within a range of approximately 5.0 bar. 11. Apparatus according to claim 2, further characterized in: The fiber (20) is Additionally, fibrillated fibers having a linear density of about 15,000 to about 50,000 denier The said staff box is characterized in that it is a polyolefin film made of (10) further includes an outlet hole (8) having a first width (W) and a first height (h). characterized by comprising a mouth orifice, and the first width (w) is about 30 to about 110 m. m range, and the first height (h) is about 2 to about 20 mm. A device according to claim 1. 12. The first predetermined pressure is within a range of about 1.0 to about 50 kgf. 13. The apparatus according to claim 11. The first width (w) is about 70 to about 12. The device according to claim 11, characterized in that the diameter is 110 mm. 14. The first predetermined external force is within a range of about 1.0 to about 50 kgf. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13. 15. The fibers (20) further have a line density of about 15,000 to about 50,000 denier. The material is made of a fibrillated polyolefin film having a The arbox (10) further includes an inlet having a first width (w) and a first height (h). a hole and an exit orifice, the first width (w) being about 30 to about 30 mm. 110 mm, and the first height (h) is about 2 to about 20 mm. 3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that: 16. The predetermined external force is within a range of about 0.1 to about 50 kgf. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15. 17. Claim characterized in that the first width (w) is about 70 to about 110 mm. Apparatus according to scope 16. 18. Average crimp frequency of about 43 to about 60 crimp per inch and about 320 to about 43 crimp per inch A crimped fiber characterized in that it has an average crimp amplitude of 0μ. 19. The fiber (20) is a fibrillated polyolefin film. The crimped fiber according to claim 18, characterized in that: 20. Polyolefin material is 92wt% polypropylene, 7wt% polyethylene one of polyethylene, polypropylenized or polyethylene, and titanium dioxide. A filler selected from the group consisting of carbon, calcium carbonate or carbon black. Claims further characterized in that the method further comprises a 1 wt% masterbatch comprising: 19. A crimped polyolefine film according to item 18.