JPS6332883B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to a novel filamentary fiber made of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer, a novel filamentary fiber bundle, a novel method for producing the same, and a novel apparatus for producing the same. The novel filamentous fiber of the present invention can be summarized as follows:
has irregular periodic changes in cross-sectional area along its length, and the coefficient of variation of cross-sectional area within the filament [CV(F)] as defined below is
It is characterized by a range of 0.05 to 1.0.
This CV(F) means that when the filament is cut at intervals of, for example, 1 mm along its length, the size of each cross-sectional area varies randomly, and the variation in the size of the cross-sectional area It means that there is an irregular period and that the width of the fluctuation is within a statistically constant range. More specifically, this new filamentous fiber (filament) has a non-circular cross-section, and has irregular and periodic changes in the size of the cross-sectional area along the length of the filament. , and also has a change in cross-sectional shape accordingly. In the filament-like fiber bundle of the present invention, each of the filament-like fibers has the above characteristics, and the cross-sectional area of each filament when the bundle is cut in a direction perpendicular to the fiber (filament) axis is small. They are characterized by substantially random differences. According to the present invention, novel filamentary fibers and novel filamentary fiber bundles having the above-mentioned characteristics can be produced using a spinning method and spinning device that are completely different from conventionally known methods. I understood. Conventionally, there have been many methods for manufacturing fibrous materials from thermoplastic polymers, but from the viewpoint of manufacturing principles, they can be roughly divided into orifice molding types and phase separation molding types, which will be described later. The former is a method in which a fibrous material is obtained by discharging a polymer from uniform, regular-shaped tubular holes (i.e., orifices) drilled at regular intervals in a spinneret, cooling and solidifying it while drafting. Accordingly, fibers having a uniform and constant fiber cross-sectional shape based on the geometry of the orifice can be obtained. On the other hand, the latter phase-separation molding type is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,928 and U.S. Pat.
Chemistry Vol. 48, No. 81342 (1956)", which uses the explosive force of an inert gas mixed and dispersed in a molten polymer, and the molten or solution of the polymer. The fibrous material is separated from the melt or solution through a circular or slit-shaped nozzle by means of a high-temperature, high-velocity jet or flash flow or other phase separation means to form a fine polymer phase. According to this method, a large amount of reticulated nonwoven fiber aggregate can be obtained, but the fibers forming this fiber aggregate have different cross-sectional shapes and sizes. It is characterized by the fact that it is not uniform. The production of fibrous products using these conventional techniques is carried out industrially and serves to provide large quantities of fibrous products to the market, but from the viewpoint of suitability as a textile material and productivity, each of them has the following characteristics: If these problems are improved, it will not only be possible to provide a new type of even more excellent fiber material, but also to provide the fiber material at a lower price. In other words, in the case of the former orifice molding type, the first problem is that in order to mold a large amount of high-density fiber bundles, a single spinneret is provided with a large number of orifices, and when the orifice spacing is narrowed, the orifice discharge becomes difficult. Due to the balance effect of the surrounding molten polymer and the melt fracture phenomenon, the filamentous polymer melt discharged from the orifice fuses with each other and causes problems such as breakage, which causes problems between the orifices. Therefore, the orifice spacing can only be set to about 2 to 3 mm industrially. With this spacing, the number of fibers formed from the nozzle is at most 10 to 1 ^cm2 .
There are about 20 fibers, and it is impossible to mold a large number of high-density fiber collectors. That is, in this technology, in order to increase productivity, it is necessary to increase the molding speed, which is usually on the order of 1000 m/min. A second problem with the orifice molding type is that the geometry of the fibers depends on the shape of the orifice, resulting in a constant, monotonous shape. This cannot be said to be particularly preferable when used as a material for textile products such as woven fabrics and knitted fabrics. It is well known that the physical properties of textile products depend not only on the properties of the matrix polymer of the fibers constituting the product, but also on the geometry of the fibers, that is, their cross-sectional shape and size. for example,
The texture of products made from natural fibers largely depends on irregularities in cross-sectional shape and denier, but it is difficult to obtain fibers with such irregularities from thermoplastic polymers by orifice molding. It is extremely difficult. Furthermore, it is extremely difficult to directly mold ultra-fine denier fibers, which are important for the properties of artificial leather and suede. Conventionally, composite fibers are molded using different types of polymers, and one of them is dissolved and removed. Alternatively, it can be carried out by splitting both polymers, which naturally requires a complicated process and results in expensive fibers. On the other hand, in the case of the latter type of phase separation molding, it is possible to mold a large amount of fiber bundles compared to the former by using a method of molding from a slit-shaped nozzle, but in this case as well, two-dimensional bundles It's just something you can get. Regarding the geometric shape of the fibers, in the fiber aggregates obtained by this technique, each fiber has a different cross section and a different denier without exception, but the shape and size of the cross section and the denier of the fibers are different. Since the variation is extremely large and it is extremely difficult to control these factors, and even the average denier is difficult to control, the range of its application is self-limited. Moreover, the fiber aggregates obtained by such phase separation type processes are all highly network-like fiber aggregates or branched short fiber aggregates, with no gaps between the network or branch junctions. The fiber length is, for example, several millimeters to several centimeters, and has the disadvantage of being extremely short. Therefore, a fiber assembly having a function such as an assembly of a large number of filaments, in which the distance between the joining points of each fiber is, for example, at least 30 cm, preferably at least 50 cm, or more, on average, is suitable for the above-mentioned phase. It is impossible to produce it using a separation type fiber assembly production method. Therefore, the first object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new type of fiber and fiber bundle that could not be obtained by conventional methods for obtaining fibrous materials from thermoplastic polymers. A second object and advantage of the present invention is to provide fibers and aggregates of such fibers having a cross-sectional shape and irregularities in the axial direction of the fibers similar to those of natural fibers, such as silk. A third object and advantage of the present invention is that various types of spinning,
The object of the present invention is to provide a new type of fiber bundle suitable as a material for knitted fabrics, woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, and other textile products. A fourth object and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new method and a new manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the above-mentioned novel fibers and fiber bundles. The fifth object and advantage of the present invention is a novel manufacturing method (spinning method) capable of spinning filamentous fibers of, for example, 100 to 600 or more filamentous fibers per cm ² of the fiber discharge surface of a spinneret; Our objective is to provide manufacturing equipment (spinning equipment). A sixth object and advantage of the present invention is that thermoplastic polymers having extremely high melt viscosity, such as polycarbonate, or thermoplastic polymers exhibiting complex viscoelastic behavior, such as polyester elastomers, polyurethane elastomers, and polyolefin elastomers, have a sixth object and advantage. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that can easily and inexpensively produce fibers and aggregates thereof using thermoplastic polymers, which were previously thought to be difficult or virtually impossible to produce industrially. It is about providing. Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the description below. The present invention will be explained in more detail below. [Manufacturing Apparatus and Manufacturing Method] The manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the filament-like fiber bundle of the present invention will be explained first. The filamentary fiber bundle of the present invention typically has a large number of slits on the discharge side for extruding the melt of the thermoplastic synthetic polymer, and adjacent slits have discontinuous protrusions. (mountains) are provided, and slits or concave areas (valleys) exist between the protrusions (mountains).
It can be produced using a spinneret characterized by having a structure such that the molten liquid extruded from one slit through the spinneret can communicate with the molten liquid extruded from another slit adjacent thereto. . To explain the manufacturing method of the present invention in more detail, in manufacturing a filamentous fiber bundle by extruding a melt of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer through a spinneret having a large number of slits, the melt of the thermoplastic synthetic polymer is Discontinuous protrusions (mountains) are provided in adjacent narrow gaps on the discharge side of the discharge side, and extrusion from a certain narrow gap is carried out through the narrow gaps or concave areas (valleys) existing between the protrusions (peaks). The melt is extruded from a spinneret such that the melt extruded from other slits adjacent thereto can come and go, and at this time, the melt discharge surface of the spinneret and its vicinity are extruded. A filamentous fiber bundle characterized in that a cooling fluid is supplied to the slit, and while the molten liquid is cooled, the molten liquid extruded through the slits is collected, the molten liquid is converted into a large number of separated fibrous rivulets, and the molten liquid is solidified. This is the manufacturing method. As explained above, in the method of the present invention, the discharge surface of the conventionally known polymer melt is smooth, and discharge holes (orifices) for the melt are independently bored in a regular array. This method is fundamentally different from a fiber manufacturing method in which the melt is extruded from a spinneret. The inventors have determined that the unit area of the spinneret (e.g. 1
We planned to develop a fiber manufacturing method that spins more fibers (filaments) per cm ² ) than in conventional methods, and by drilling orifices at a higher density than in conventional spinnerets. Attempts were made to extrude a thermoplastic polymer melt through an orifice. As one of the attempts, the present inventors created a spinneret in which orifices with a hole diameter of 0.5 mm were equally spaced at a pitch of 1 mm, 10 vertically and 100 horizontally (total number of orifices 1000). When a molten polymer (for example, a melt of crystalline polypropylene) was discharged from the orifice using a spinning machine, under normal spinning conditions, the filamentous polymer extruded through the orifice would not be able to flow due to the balance effect or bending phenomenon. It was impossible to fuse them together and make fibers. Therefore, the present inventors attempted to rapidly solidify the molten polymer discharged from each orifice and turn it into fibers by rapidly cooling the fiber discharge surface of the spinneret and its lower part using the method described above. Since the discharge surface of the orifice was supercooled, many melt fracture phenomena occurred, and filaments were broken in many orifices, making it impossible to perform a continuous and stable spinning operation. Therefore, the present inventors designed a V-shaped cross section (width: approximately 0.7 mm, depth: approximately 0.7 mm) on the polymer discharge surface of the spinneret.
mm) are intersected at angles of approximately 45° and approximately 135° with respect to the orifice arrangement, and a convex portion is formed between the orifices (slit gaps) on the discharge surface thus obtained. When a melt of the polymer is extruded using a spinneret having (mountains) and recesses (troughs), the melt first flows out to cover the entire discharge surface, but at this time, the polymer of the spinneret When the melt of the polymer was collected while being appropriately rapidly cooled by blowing an air stream on the discharge surface and its vicinity, the melt gradually divided, and the convex portions of the spinneret gradually formed islands on the surface of the melt. A large number of filamentous fibers can now be stably and continuously drawn (the above spinning mode is hereinafter referred to as the first spinning condition of the present invention). The detailed conditions of the first spinning mode are described in Example 1 below.
Described in. Moreover, a cross-sectional photograph of a part of the filament-like fiber bundle thus obtained is shown in FIG. 1 (this will be described further later). As a result of the successful high-density spinning of fibers according to the first spinning mode, the present inventors next used a plain weave mesh as shown in FIG. 2 as described in Example 2 below. An attempt was made to create a spinneret for the coalescent melt. That is, the porosity is about 31 made of stainless steel wire with a diameter of about 0.21 mm.
%, number of slits per ^1cm2 approximately 590, width 2cm, length 16cm
A plain-woven wire mesh (area area: 32 cm ² ) was used as a spinneret, and the polymer melt was extruded from the wire mesh in the same manner as in Example 1. As described in Example 1, the polymer melt was initially At this time, the polymer discharging surface of the wire mesh and its vicinity are moderately cooled by air flow, and the molten liquid is gradually divided and flows out to cover the entire wire mesh.
The protrusions (mountains) indicated by M in the figure appear as islands shaped like the shaded areas in Figure 2c, and the melt transforms into a number of separated fibrous rivulets and solidifies. By this method, a large number of filamentous fibers could be drawn stably and continuously. This spinning mode is hereinafter referred to as the second spinning mode of the present invention. A cross section of a portion of the fiber bundle obtained in this manner is shown in FIG. 3a. The wire mesh may have any weave structure. For example, if a wire mesh with a twill weave structure shown in Example 3 below is spun in the same manner as in Example 2, a special cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3b can be obtained. A filamentary fiber bundle is obtained having the following characteristics. Furthermore, as shown in Example 4 below, the present inventors used a plain-woven wire mesh made of stainless steel wire with a diameter of about 0.38 mm with a porosity of about 46% and a number of pores of about 96 per ^cm2 . The polymer melt was extruded using a zigzag tapered pin protruding from every other gap to a height of approximately 2 mm (width approximately 30 mm, length approximately 50 mm) as a spinneret. At first, the molten liquid flowed out, covering the entire surface of the tips of the many pins of the wire mesh, but when the polymer discharge surface of the wire mesh and the vicinity thereof was cooled and collected, the melt initially flowed out. The melt was drawn from the tip in the form of a trickle, but after a while, the melt was taken out as a split trickle from the recesses other than the pin, and was cooled to stabilize the bundle of many filamentous fibers. was formed continuously. In this case, a large number of pins protrude like islands in the sea of polymer melt, and while the polymer melt is divided in a narrow area where the islands are close to each other, the melt is directly transferred from the sea to a large number of pins. It was collected in a divided fibrous form. It was quite surprising that a large number of segmented filamentary fibers could be continuously formed at high density directly from the sea area in this manner. The above embodiment is referred to as the third spinning embodiment of the present invention. The present inventors further attempted high-density spinning of the polymer melt using various different spinnerets. Further different spinning modes will be described in detail in Examples below, and representative modes thereof are as follows. Fourth spinning mode A porous body in which a large number of minute metal spheres are densely packed and arranged at least on the surface layer, sintered and fixed is used as a spinneret, and the polymer melt is passed through the slits of this porous plate body. A method for producing a large number of filamentous fiber aggregates by extruding (see Example 5 below).
FIG. 4 shows a cross section of a portion of a filamentary fiber bundle obtained by this method. Fifth spinning mode As shown in Example 6 below, for example, the diameter is about 0.2
A large number of plain-woven wire meshes with a porosity of about 30% are vertically and densely arranged and stacked as a spinneret, and by pushing the polymer melt in a direction parallel to the laminated surface of the wire meshes, a large number of filament-shaped wire meshes are produced. A method of manufacturing a fiber aggregate. In this case, the longitudinal wires forming the wire mesh form protrusions (mountains) of narrow gaps, similar to the large number of pins in the third spinning mode. FIG. 5 shows a cross section of a portion of a filamentary fiber bundle formed by this method. Sixth Spinning Mode As shown in Example 7 below, a large number of metal plates each having a sawtooth shape (∧∧∧) at the tip are spaced at a certain minute interval as shown in FIG. The polymer melt is extruded in parallel to the surfaces of the large number of plates by using a vertically stacked one as a spinneret, with the teeth of the saws serving as the discharge side, to produce a large number of filamentous fiber aggregates. how to. FIG. 7 shows a cross section of a portion of a filamentary fiber aggregate obtained by this method. As shown in the first to sixth aspects above, according to the present invention, a filamentous fiber bundle can be manufactured by extruding a melt of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer through a spinneret having a large number of slits. In this case, discontinuous protrusions (mountains) are provided in adjacent narrow gaps on the melt discharge side of the spinneret, and the slits or concave areas ( extruding the melt through a spinneret such that the melt extruded from one slot can communicate with the melt extruded from another slot adjacent thereto through a trough;
At this time, a cooling fluid is supplied to the melt discharge surface of the spinneret and its vicinity, and while cooling the melt extruded through the slits, the melt is collected into a large number of separated fibrous rivulets. By converting and solidifying, a very large number of filamentous fiber bundles can be produced per unit area of the spinneret. Further, according to the present invention, for example, the third spinning mode (using a large number of needle-like objects as the protrusions) and the fifth spinning mode (using filaments of wire mesh as the protrusions)
As is clear from the spinning methods such as and sixth spinning mode (using saw teeth as the protrusions), according to the present invention, a melt of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer is extruded from a spinneret to form a filament. In producing a shaped fiber bundle, the melt forms a continuous phase (sea) on the melt discharge side of the spinneret, and the continuous phase (sea) of the melt is projected to the discharge side. A large number of protrusions form a large number of erect, discontinuous non-polymer phases (islands) in the continuous phase (sea) of the melt, and the melt discharge surface of the spinneret and its vicinity. A filamentous fiber bundle is continuously produced by supplying a cooling fluid to the continuous phase (sea) and drawing the melt in the form of a large number of fibrous rivulets while cooling and solidifying the melt. be able to. According to the invention, for example, per cm ² of the spinneret,
If the average fineness is about 30 to 100 denier, about 50 to 150, if the average fineness is about 1 to 5 denier, about 100 to 600, and if the average fineness is about 1 denier or less. If it is 600~
Filament-like fiber bundles of 1,500 or more fiber bundles can be produced continuously and stably. According to the conventional melt spinning method, it has been impossible to continuously and stably spin 30 or more, especially 50 or more filamentous fiber bundles per 1 cm ² of the fiber forming area of the spinneret. From this perspective, it must be said that the fiber manufacturing method of the present invention is an extremely innovative method. Further, according to the present invention, various average finenesses can be used, ranging from ultrafine fibers such as 0.01 denier, preferably 0.05 denier, to thick fibers such as 300 denier, preferably 150 denier, and particularly preferably 100 denier. It is possible to produce a filamentary fiber bundle having the following properties. According to the production method of the present invention, the fiber forming region of the spinneret, that is, the region where fibers are substantially formed, is used to uniformly and efficiently cool the polymer melt discharged from the slits. In particular, it is desirable to have a strip-shaped, especially rectangular, fiber-forming region.
Such rectangles have a width of about 6 cm or less, especially about 5 cm.
cm or less, and the length may be arbitrary, directing the airflow toward the melt discharge surface of the spinneret through a slit-like pore substantially parallel to the length direction. Preferably, the discharged polymer melt is cooled by blowing the discharged polymer melt in the vicinity of the discharge surface so that the air stream flows substantially parallel to the discharge surface. The cooling fluid, such as air flow, is air at room temperature, and the flow velocity is approximately 4 to 5 mm, as measured immediately after passing through the fiber bundle at a position 5 mm away from the discharge surface (top surface of the mountain) of the spinneret. 40m/
Advantageously, the flow velocity is such that the flow rate is approximately 6 to 30 m/sec. According to the present invention, the rectangular fiber forming region is a filamentous fiber bundle having a density of, for example, 3,000 to 120,000 deniers, preferably 5,000 to 100,000 deniers per area of 2 cm in width and 10 cm in length (total area of 20 cm ² ). By increasing the width, especially the length, of the rectangular shape, filamentary fiber bundles of enormous deniers can be continuously produced all at once. In fact, the length of the rectangle constituting the fiber forming area may be any length that is not inconvenient for actual operations, for example, may be 2 m or 3 m or more. The amount of polymer discharged per ^1cm2 of fiber forming area is 0.1
~10 g/min, particularly preferably 0.2 to 7 g/min. The polymer may be any thermoplastic synthetic polymer that can form fibers, but especially when the melting point is expressed as an absolute temperature (〓), it can be heated to a temperature (〓) that is 1.1 times the melting point. The melt viscosity
200 to 30,000 poise, preferably 300 to 25,000 poise, particularly preferably 500 to 15,000 poise are advantageously used. (Here, the melt viscosity (poise) of a polymer is defined as the melting point of the polymer as Tm (〓),
It refers to the viscosity at a temperature (〓) corresponding to Tm x 1.1. However, this viscosity measurement method is based on ASTM D1238-
The flow tester method according to 52T shall be used. ) On the other hand, as a polymer, its melting point is 70℃~350℃,
Particularly preferred is a temperature range of 90 to 300°C, but the temperature is not limited to this range. The polymer temperature at the discharge point (T ₀ ) when the polymer melt is discharged from the slits on the discharge side of the spinneret is expressed by the following formula:
Calculated according to (1). To (〓) = (5t _-2 -2t _-5 ) 1/3 + 273 ... (1) However, t _-2 is the actual measurement of the molten polymer at a position 2 mm inside the spinneret from the tip of the convex part of the spinneret. temperature (°C), and t _-5 is the measured temperature (°C) of the molten polymer at a position 5 mm inside the spinneret from the tip surface of the protrusion similar to the above. In the present invention, the discharge point polymer temperature (To) calculated from the above formula (1) and the melting point (Tm
〓−expressed in absolute temperature) ratio (To/Tm) is 0.85
It is preferable to discharge the melt of the polymer from the slits of the spinneret so that the molecular weight is 1.25 to 1.25, particularly 0.9 to 1.2, especially 0.95 to 1.15. The withdrawal speed (V _L ) of the formed fiber bundle from the spinneret is 100 to 10,000 cm/min, especially 300 to 7,000 cm/min.
cm/min, preferably 500 to 5000 cm/min. The apparent draft ratio (Da) of the polymer melt discharged from the spinneret can be expressed by the following formula (2). Da=V _L /Vo...(2) In the formula, V _L is the actual take-up speed of the fiber bundle (cm/min)
where Vo is the average linear velocity (cm/min) in the discharge direction when the polymer melt is discharged covering the entire discharge surface of the fiber forming region of the spinneret. On the other hand, the following formula (3) approximately holds true for Vo. Vo=W/So・ρ...(3) However, W is the discharge amount of the entire polymer melt (g/min) when the polymer melt is discharged covering the entire discharge surface of the fiber forming area of the spinneret. ), So is the entire discharge surface area (cm ² ) of the fiber forming region, and ρ is the density (g/cm ² ) of the polymer at room temperature. Therefore, the apparent draft ratio (Da) of the polymer melt discharged from the spinneret can be calculated by the following formula (4). Da=V _L・ρ・So/W...(4) In the present invention, the apparent draft ratio (Da) that can be obtained from the above formula (4) is 10 to 10000,
In particular, it is preferable to control the number to be 100 to 5000, more preferably 200 to 4000. The reciprocal of the above apparent draft ratio (Da) represents the packing fraction (Pf). Pf=1/Da...(5) This packing flux (Pf) indicates the sum of the cross-sectional area of all the fibers of the fiber bundle formed per fiber forming area of the spinneret, and The density of the fibers to be discharged (discharged) is a measure of high-density spinning performance. Incidentally, in the case of conventional melt spinning of polymers, the packing flux (Pf) is on the order of 10 ^-5 at most, but in the case of the present invention, Pf is 10 ^-4 to ^{10 -1} ,
preferably on the order of 2×10 ⁻⁴ to 10 ⁻² ;
From this point of view, it becomes clear that the method of the present invention is significantly different from conventional polymer melt spinning methods. The total denier of the fiber bundle produced from the fiber forming region of the spinneret according to the present invention
(ΣDe) can be determined by the following equation (6). ΣDe=(W/V _L )×9×10 ⁵ ...(6) In the formula, V _L and W are the same as defined in the above formulas (2) and (3). The total number of fibers (N) in the fiber bundle can be determined from the following formula (7) by actually measuring the average fineness (average denier) of any part of the fiber bundle and taking this value. Further, the number of fibers ( ) per unit area (cm ² ) of the spinneret can be determined from the following formula (8). =N/So...(8) However, the definition of So is the same as in equation (3) above, and the definition of N is the same as in equation (7). Incidentally, according to the present invention, the number of weaves per 1 cm ² of the plain weave wire mesh described in spinning mode 2 (this number is 1 cm ²
(expressed as the product of the number of vertical and horizontal wires per hit) is n (m), then the above is 0.2n (m) ~
It becomes 0.98n (m). Similarly, for twill wire mesh, ⁿ is typically approximately 0.2n
(m) to 0.9n(m). As described above, according to the present invention, by using wire meshes with various woven textures and adjusting the type of polymer and spinning conditions, the wire mesh can be varied in the range of 0.2n(m) to 0.98n(m). The cross-sectional size and/or shape of each fiber can be varied accordingly. In addition, in the case of the first spinning aspect of the present invention, 1
Letting the number of orifices per ^cm2 be n (m),
is (0.7-0.95)n(m). Furthermore, in the case of the third to sixth spinning modes of the present invention, when the number of protrusions (mountains) per 1 cm ² is n (m), it is 0.3n (m) to approximately n (m). The range is the same. In the method of the present invention, the polymer melt is extruded through a gap provided at the discharge side of the spinneret, converting it into a number of separated fibrous rivulets, and solidifying over the distance of the spinneret. If the distance from the convex surface until the rivulet reaches a diameter 1.1 times the constant fiber diameter is Lf (hereinafter referred to as coagulation length), then Lf
is very short, being less than 2 cm, particularly preferably less than 1 cm, compared to approximately 10 to 100 cm in the case of conventional melt-spinning methods. For example, during the stable production of filamentary fiber bundles according to the present invention, the Lf may be applied to a portion of the surface of the fiber forming region of the spinneret using a cooling stream such as a stream of dry carbon dioxide cooled to below freezing point. By spraying a stream, the fibrous stream of polymer melt discharged from the slits is frozen as it is.
The actual measurement can be made by solidifying and separating from the spinneret, and examining this by microscopic observation. In the present invention, the solidification length coefficient (k) defined by the following formula (9) is preferably in the range of 10 to 500, particularly 30 to 300, most preferably 50 to 200. In the formula, _L is the average cross-sectional area of the undrawn filament after solidification, and Lf represents the solidification length. In addition, the above _L is the following formula (10) In the formula, the definition is the average fineness (denier) of the fiber obtained by actually measuring any part of the fiber concentrate, and ρ is the density (g/cm ³ ) of the polymer at room temperature. be. It can be calculated from While the conventionally known solidification length coefficient (k) is in the range of the order of 10 ⁴ to ^{10 5} , in the case of the present invention, as mentioned above, the solidification length coefficient (k) is preferably 500 or less, particularly 300 or less. From this point of view, it is clear that the polymer melt is solidified in an extremely short period in the case of the present invention, and it can be understood that this method is very different from the conventional melt spinning method. The tension (g/denier) when taking off the filamentous fiber bundle in the present invention is 0.001
A range of 0.2 to 0.2, typically 0.02 to 0.1 g/denier is preferred. According to the present invention, the first to sixth spinning modes described above, the number of fibers per unit area of the spinneret (), the number of slits or the number of protrusions on the melt discharge side of the spinneret [n( m], in the spinning method of the present invention, the molten liquid in the pores or part of the continuous phase (sea) always communicates with the molten liquid in other pores or other sea areas. Since the molten liquid is drawn from such slits or sea areas while being divided into fibrous rivulets, when the fibrous rivulet drawn from a certain slit or sea area is cut, The fibrous stream drawn from other adjacent slits or sea areas immediately merges with the fibrous stream to form fibers, and the merged stream splits again to form separated filamentous fibers. By mutual help among the trickles,
When viewed as a whole, it is possible to stably and continuously produce a very large number of filament-like fibers in the form of a bundle from the fiber-forming region. As explained above, the present invention has a large number of slits on the discharge side for extruding the melt of the thermoplastic synthetic polymer, and adjacent slits are provided with discontinuous protrusions. , characterized in that it has a structure such that the melt extruded from a certain slit through the concave area existing between the convex portions can communicate with the molten liquid extruded from another slit adjacent thereto. The filamentary fiber bundle described above can be formed by using a spinneret. When considered from another aspect, the method described above of the present invention can also be called a melt (polymer melt) molding method using a die having a finely uneven surface, and is a process in which the melt surface has fine irregularities. while suppressing fusion between the melt convex parts,
This method mainly attempts to string-form fibers from the convex portion of the melt. Therefore, the apparatus for forming the fiber bundle of the present invention includes (a) the use of a spinneret capable of forming a finely uneven melt surface, and (b) a spinneret for making the finely uneven melt surface visible. It is important to have means for rapidly cooling the surface, and (c) means for pulling yarn from the convex portions of the uneven melt surface. The apparatus for molding the fiber bundle of the present invention is a spinneret having the above-described structure, and the average distance () between the discharge ports through which the polymer melt is discharged at the temperature of the molding region is 0.03 to 4 mm. It is preferable to have a range of . In particular, in accordance with the definitions explained below, the molding area has (1) an average distance between discharge ports () in the range of 0.03 to 4 mm, (2) an average peak height () in the range of 0.01 to 3.0 mm (3) and (4) fine irregularities in which the average mountain width () is in the range of 0.02 to 1.5 mm and (4) the average mountain height () and the average mountain width () satisfy the range of 0.3 to 5.0 expressed as ()/(). A forming device comprising a discharge surface having a large number of polymer discharge ports, a cooling means for cooling the surface of the discharge surface, and a taking-off means for taking off the formed fiber bundle. It is advantageous to use The above-mentioned molding area, average distance between discharge ports (), average peak height (), average peak width (), and discharge ports are each defined by the following explanation. Average distance between discharge ports () defined in the present invention,
The average peak height ( ), average peak width ( Calculated using geometric definitions and methods. For example, theoretically, for the molding area of a die in which sintered bodies of spherical objects with radius r are packed close together, =√3
r, = π/4r, = π/2r. In this way, it can be determined theoretically for a cap whose surface is composed of a collection of microscopically uniform geometric shapes, but for a cap whose surface shape is microscopically non-uniform, it is possible to determine what the cap should be. It can be determined by cutting at a right angle cross section, or by making a mold of the surface of the cap using a material that is easy to cut, cutting it, and actually measuring it. For actual measurements, as long as the surface of the molding area is macroscopically uniform, the origin can be set at the center of the molding area and six cross-sections taken every 30 degrees around the origin can be approximated. can be obtained, and this is sufficient for practical purposes. The forming region is a region where a fiber bundle having a substantially uniform density is formed in a spinneret 5 for discharging a molten polymer from a spinning head 4 and spinning forming a fiber bundle, as illustrated in FIG. Refers to the area of the part to be formed. The polymer discharge port in the molding device of the present invention is defined as the polymer discharge port when the molding area of the die is cut at right angles to its average surface (a smooth virtual surface viewed macroscopically by averaging minute irregularities). (The cross section is simply referred to as the "forming region cross section"), which refers to the first minimum visible flow width when viewed from the surface side of the molding region at right angles to the average plane of the flow path through which the polymer can be discharged and flowed. FIG. 9 shows a schematic enlarged view of an arbitrary cross section in the generalized molding area of the present invention. In this FIG. 9, Ai and Ai+1 portions are discharge ports. In addition, the distance between the center lines of adjacent arbitrary discharge ports Ai and Ai+1 is called the distance between the discharge ports pi,
The average of pi in all cross sections is defined as the average distance between discharge ports p. Also, in the right side adjacent cross section of the arbitrary discharge port Ai of the arbitrary cross section, the part closer to the surface of the molding area than the Ai part,
It is called the mountain Hi attached to Ai, and furthermore, the peak and Ai
The average space perpendicular to the plane hi is called the peak height of Hi.
The average of hi in all cross sections is defined as the average mountain height. Further, the width parallel to the average surface of the peak Hi sandwiched between the discharge ports Ai and Ai+1 is called the peak width di, and the average of di in all cross sections is defined as the average peak width. According to each of the above definitions, the molding apparatus of the present invention has a molding area of the molten polymer in which (1) the average distance between discharge ports ( 1.0mm
(2) Average mountain height () is in the range of 0.01 to 3.0 mm, preferably 0.02 to 1.0 mm, (3) Average mountain width () is in the range of 0.02 to 1.5 mm, preferably 0.04 to 1.0 mm. and (4) having a finely uneven surface and a large number of polymer discharge ports such that the average peak height and average peak width are in the range of 0.3 to 5.0, preferably in the range of 0.4 to 3.0. is advantageous. As mentioned above, the values of , , and / are (1)
〜(4) and (−
It is even more advantageous to set the structure of the cap surface so that the value expressed by d)/ is in the range 0.02 to 0.8, preferably in the range 0.05 to 0.7. This (−
In other words, the value d)/ is a value representing the area ratio of the discharge port in the molding area. A reticular fiber bundle is formed by discharging a molten polymer from a discharge port having such a finely uneven surface structure, cooling the discharge surface, and withdrawing the polymer under appropriate conditions. According to the present invention, filamentous fiber bundles can be produced from a large number of thermoplastic synthetic polymers as described below. (i) Polyolefin-based or polyvinyl-based polymers; for example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyacrylonitrile, polyacrylic acid ester, or mutual copolymers thereof. (ii) Polyamide; for example poly ε-caprolactam, polyhexamethylene adipamide, polyhexamethylene sebacamide. (iii) polyesters; aromatic dicarboxylic acids such as phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, diphenyldicarboxylic acid, naphthalenedicarboxylic acid; aliphatic dicarboxylic acids such as adipic acid, sebaic acid, decanedicarboxylic acid; or hexahydroterephthalic acid; The dibasic acid component is alicyclic dicarboxylic acid such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, tetramethylene glycol, decamethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, 2,2-dimethylpropanediol, hexahydroxylylene glycol, xylylene. Preference is given to polyesters whose glycol component is an aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic glycol, such as a glycol. These dihydrochloric acid components or glycol components may each be a single type or a combination of two or more types of polyester. Particularly preferred examples include polyethylene terephthalate, polytetramethylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,763,109 and 3,023,192,
This is a polyester elastomer described in No. 3651014 and No. 3766146. (vi) Other polymers; In addition to the above-mentioned polymers (i) to (iii), polycarbonates using various bisphenols; polyacetals; various polyurethanes, polyfluorinated ethylenes, and copolymerized polyfluorinated ethylenes. The thermoplastic synthetic polymers mentioned above may be used alone or in a mixture of two or more. Furthermore, a plasticizer, a viscosity increaser, etc. may be added to the polymer in order to increase plasticity and melt viscosity. In addition, the polymer contains light stabilizers, pigments, heat stabilizers, which are usually used as additives for fibers,
Flame retardants, lubricants, matting agents, etc. may be added. Furthermore, polymers are not necessarily limited to linear polymers;
It may be a polymer having a partially crosslinked three-dimensional structure as long as thermoplasticity is not impaired. On the other hand, when producing the filamentous fiber bundle of the present invention, a soluble liquid medium may be partially contained in the molten polymer, and an inert gas or gas generating agent may also be added. . In particular, when the manufacturing method of the present invention is carried out with the addition of a volatile liquid medium, inert gas, or gas generating agent, the liquid medium or gas foams explosively on the surface of the die, resulting in a more finely divided fiber cross-sectional structure. A fiber bundle having the following properties can be formed. The gas in this case is preferably nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, helium, or the like. As mentioned above, the production method of the present invention uses polymers conventionally used in melt spinning methods, such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyε-caprolactam, polyhexamethylene adipamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polytetramethylene terephthalate, etc. Not only can these polymers be advantageously applied, but even polymers for which melt spinning has traditionally been considered industrially difficult, such as polycarbonate and the aforementioned polyester elastomer, can be easily made into fibers without any hindrance. I can do it.
As described above, according to the production method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a fiber bundle using either crystalline or non-crystalline polymer. [About the filamentary fiber bundle of the present invention] According to the present invention explained above, the type of polymer,
By adjusting the structure of the spinneret, spinning conditions, etc., the distance between the bonding points of filaments can be changed from an average of about 30 cm to several tens of meters, and even several tens of meters.
It is possible to produce filament-like fiber bundles up to 100 meters long in a continuous and stable operation. The filaments that make up this fiber assembly are: (A) The filaments have irregular and periodic changes in cross-sectional area along their length, and (B) Internal cross-sectional area variations within the filaments. The coefficient [CV(F)] is
It differs from any previously known man-made filaments or fibers in that it has the following characteristics: 0.05 to 1.0. The filament internal cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)] here refers to the variation in fineness in the length direction (axial direction) of the filament, and is the variation coefficient for any one filament in the fiber bundle. , select an arbitrary 3cm area, measure the cross-sectional area at every 1mm interval using a microscope, and
The average value ( ) of the 30 cross-sectional areas and the standard deviation (σA) of the 30 cross-sectional areas can be calculated using the following formula (11). The filament constituting the fiber bundle of the present invention has the above CV (F) in the range of 0.05 to 1.0, particularly
A range of 0.08 to 0.7, especially 0.1 to 0.5 is preferred. Regarding two different types of filaments of the present invention,
Figures 10 and 11 show graphs plotting the actually measured values of the cross-sectional area at the 1 mm interval. As is clear from these graphs, the filament of the present invention exhibits irregular periodic changes in cross-sectional area along its length, for example, even when viewed in units of 5 mm. It has the characteristic of having It is thought that such characteristics are formed by the method for producing the fiber aggregate of the present invention, which is completely different from the conventional melt spinning method described above. Furthermore, the filament constituting the fiber bundle of the present invention is characterized by a non-circular cross section as shown in FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7. A further feature of the present invention is that the filament has a non-circular cross section, and the filament has a non-circular cross-section, and the cross-sectional area is periodically irregular along the length direction of the filament. In addition to the change in size, the cross-sectional shape also changes accordingly. The degree of non-circularity of the cross-sectional shape of the filament is determined by the ratio (D/ d) can be expressed by the irregularity coefficient expressed as: The filaments of the present invention have a profile factor (D/d) of at least 1.1, and most have a deformation factor (D/d) of at least 1.2. Furthermore, the filament of the present invention comprises the twelfth filament.
As is clear from the figure, the filament is characterized in that the above-mentioned deformation coefficient (D/d) changes along the length direction of the filament. Furthermore, this filament is expressed by the difference between the maximum irregularity coefficient [(D/d) max] and the minimum irregularity coefficient [(D/d) min] in an arbitrary range of 30 mm along its length. It is characterized in that the maximum difference in shape coefficient [(D/d) max - (D/d) min] is at least 0.05, preferably at least 0.1. Filamentous fibers having the above-mentioned characteristics have not been known in the past, and have properties similar to those of natural fibers such as silk in terms of morphology. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a filament having irregular crimps with irregular periods along the length direction of the filament is produced as an undrawn yarn using many polymers, as shown in FIG. can get. The filament-like fiber bundle of the present invention is a filament bundle consisting of a large number of filaments made of at least one type of thermoplastic synthetic polymer, and (1) each filament constituting the bundle has a length of (2) Each filament has an intra-filament cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)] in the range of 0.05 to 1.0. , (3) characterized in that the size of the cross-sectional area of each filament when the bundle is cut in a direction perpendicular to the filament axis at an arbitrary position of the bundle is substantially randomly different. There is. The feature (3) above can be clearly understood from FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Further, in the present invention, when the bundle is cut in a direction perpendicular to the filament axis at an arbitrary position, the variation in the cross-sectional area of each filament is within the range of 0.1 to 1.5 expressed as coefficient of variation [CVA] of the filament cross-sectional area within the bundle. In particular, those having CV(A) in the range of 0.2 to 1 are preferable. This CV(A) is calculated by randomly extracting 100 partial focusing bodies from the above focusing body, measuring the size of each cross section by observing the cross section at an arbitrary position under a microscope, and calculating the average value () Then, find the standard deviation (σB) of the 100 cross-sectional areas and use the following formula (12) It can be calculated from In the filament-like fiber bundle of the present invention, when the bundle is cut in a direction perpendicular to the filament axis at an arbitrary position, the cross section of each filament has a random size and shape. characterized by being substantially different. This is clear from FIGS. 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7, and FIG. 12. In the filament-like fiber bundle of the present invention, each filament has a non-circular cross section when the bundle is cut in a direction perpendicular to the filament axis at an arbitrary position, and each cross section has the above-mentioned irregularity coefficient (D/ d)
is at least 1.1, and most are at least 1.2. Furthermore, the maximum irregularity coefficient [(D/
d) max] and the minimum irregularity coefficient [(D/d) min].
0.05, preferably at least 0.1. In addition, the fiber bundle of the present invention has irregular crimps as a collection of undrawn yarns obtained from many polymers, and each filament constituting the fiber bundle has an irregular crimp. It is characterized by having different crimps. This fact is clear from FIG. 15, for example. These different irregular crimps of each filament can be made more noticeable by subjecting the unstretched fiber aggregate to boiling water treatment or post-stretching boiling water treatment, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17. Become. The filamentous fiber bundle of the present invention includes:
It is a bundle of many fibers made of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer, and when the fibers forming the bundle are cut in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis, the cross section of each fiber has a different shape and size, and furthermore, According to the definitions explained in the text, (i) the average fineness (e) of the fibers forming the fiber bundle within the bundle is in the range of 0.01 to 100 de, (ii) the fineness of the fibers forming the fiber bundle within the bundle Filament cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(A)] is 0.1~
1.5, and (iii) the filament internal cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)] in the longitudinal direction of the fibers forming the fiber bundle is
A range of 0.05 to 1.0 is preferred. Average fineness (average denier,
De), 10 100 partial bundles are randomly extracted from the bundle (for convenience, 3 pieces may be used. Even when 3 pieces are extracted, it is almost the same as when 10 pieces are extracted. (There is no difference), one point in the direction of the fiber axis of each partial bundle was randomly selected and cut in the direction perpendicular to that point, and the cross section was photographed with a microscope and approximately
Cut out individual fiber cross sections from a 2000x magnified photo, measure the weight of each, divide the total by the number of lines in the cross-sectional photo, average it, and convert the value [m(A)] into denier (de). be. Therefore, the average fineness e within the aggregate is calculated by the following formula. =K・m(A) [In the formula, m(A) is the weight average value of the cut photographic fiber cross section, K is the denier (de) conversion factor,
It is determined by the formula K=9×10 ⁵ ·ρ/α ·β. Here, α is the unit area weight (g) of the photograph, β is the area magnification of the photograph, and ρ is the specific gravity of the thermoplastic polymer, all of which are values expressed in cgg units. ] When the filamentary fiber aggregate of the present invention is made from a blend of two or more polymers, for example, or by mixing a gas or a gas generating substance with the aggregate melt, it can be made into a foamable melt. When spun or manufactured from a high-viscosity melt, a large number of continuous streak-like patterns are formed on the surface of the filament-like fibers constituting the bundle along the fiber axis. This fact that "the surface of the fiber has many striped patterns along the fiber axis" can be recognized by observation using the following method. As shown in Figures 18a and 18b, the fiber bundle was cut in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis, and the cut surface was examined at an angle of 45° to the fiber axis using a scanning electron microscope. Photographs were taken at ~3000x magnification, and from the photographs it was possible to discern numerous continuous streaks on the fiber surface along the fiber axis. However, when a fibrous material is formed by extruding a thermoplastic polymer through a nozzle with a geometric pattern, fibers with irregular cross sections such as star-shaped, triangular, etc. due to the shape of the nozzle may be formed. The vertical striped pattern based on the above-mentioned "stripe pattern" is not the "streaked pattern" mentioned above, but the "streaked pattern" of the present invention, which refers to the streaks in the direction of the fiber axis that can be recognized on the relatively gentle surface part of the side surface of the fiber axis in the above photograph. That's what I say. In particular, in the fiber bundle of the present invention, the surface of at least 50% of the fibers is
It is preferable that a continuous striped pattern along the fiber axis can be observed in at least 30% (preferably at least 40%) of its visible surface. For example, when a woven fabric is formed using a fiber bundle having such a striped pattern on the fiber surface, along with the cross-sectional shape and longitudinal variation, the appearance of the texture, such as a silky feel, silkiness, and luster, is similar to that of natural silk. It is possible to obtain a product that closely resembles the texture of textiles and has the advantages of synthetic polymers in terms of functionality, etc., and is superior to natural products. Such a striped pattern does not exist on the surface of all the fibers forming the fiber bundle of the present invention, and the presence or absence of the striped pattern and its amount depend on the type of thermoplastic polymer. It depends on the combination, the nozzle structure of the molten polymer discharge surface, the cooling conditions of the nozzle surface, etc. According to the research conducted by the present inventors, in general, a mixture of two or more polymers is more likely to form a striped pattern than a single polymer, and the proportion of irregularities on the discharge surface of the molten polymer is (In other words, the above value of /) is larger, the easier it is to obtain fibers with a striped pattern, and the above-mentioned relative temperature ratio θ of the discharge surface
It has been found that the smaller the , that is, the stronger the cooling of the die surface, the more striped patterned fibers can be obtained. The type and combination of these polymers, the ratio of unevenness on the discharge surface, and the cooling conditions for the discharge surface are not absolute conditions for obtaining fibers with a striped pattern. The factors interact to form a striped pattern. In particular, (a) two types of polymers (especially two types with different physical properties)
(seed polymer) in a ratio of 30/70 to 70/30% by weight, (b) the value of / on the discharge surface is 0.5 or more, and (c) the discharge surface relative temperature ratio θ is 1.03 or less. A fiber bundle having many striped patterns on the surface can be obtained. Of course, the requirements (a), (b), and (c) above do not necessarily have to be satisfied, and even if any one or two of the requirements are satisfied. It goes without saying that a fiber bundle having a pattern may be obtained in some cases. Furthermore, according to the present invention, FIG. 22 (Example 31)
As can be clearly seen, when the filamentary fiber bundle of the present invention is cut at right angles to its fiber axis, some of the many cross sections have whisker-like protrusions protruding in random directions. A fiber bundle containing fibers having a cross-sectional shape can be obtained. A fiber bundle having a cross section in which some of the fibers have protrusions in this way is not typical as shown in FIG. 22, but can also be seen in FIG. When the base polymer of the filamentous fiber aggregate of the present invention is a crystalline and oriented polymer,
As seen in Figure 19, in most cases it has a certain degree of crystallinity and orientation in the unstretched state, and by stretching or stretching and heat treating this aggregate, the crystallinity and orientation can be improved. Orientation can be further increased. Even if the fiber bundle in an unstretched state is stretched or stretched and heat-treated in this way, the aforementioned CV(F) and CV(A) do not deviate from the above range. Of course, by stretching, the strength of the fiber aggregate,
Physical properties such as Young's modulus can be improved. Furthermore, when drawing the fiber bundle of the present invention, there are the following characteristics that are not found in general fiber bundles. In the case of a general long fiber bundle (tow) obtained by ordinary orifice spinning, the bundle is cut simultaneously at almost the same location when the stretchable range (maximum stretching ratio) is exceeded, but the fiber bundle of the present invention teeth,
Due to weak irregularities in the length direction of the fibers, even if the maximum draw ratio is exceeded, the bundle will not suddenly break at the same location, and the fibers will be broken apart within the bundle, so that the fibers will not be cut in parts. It is possible to create a bundle that is cut into sections. By applying this phenomenon, it is possible to directly and easily produce a bundle similar to a slipper in spinning, and also a bulky filament having properties similar to spun yarn. By drawing the fiber bundle of the present invention, the joining points of the filaments break and the average distance between the joining points becomes longer, depending on the drawing ratio, resulting in a filament-like fiber bundle with an extremely long distance between the joining points. It is possible to obtain fiber bundles such as those formed from substantially long fibers with few or no joints. On the other hand, such a fiber bundle having almost no bonding points between filaments can also be obtained by applying physical stress to the fiber bundle in the axial direction of the fibers, such as by stretching, but there are other ways to obtain the fiber bundle. By unfolding the body perpendicular to the fiber axis,
The bonding points are cut, and a continuous filament-like fiber bundle with almost no bonding points can be obtained. Furthermore, even if the fiber bundle of the present invention has relatively many or few joint points, it can be cut into short fibers by cutting it into an appropriate length in a direction perpendicular to the fiber axis. . Needless to say, even such an aggregate of short fibers falls within the scope of the fiber bundle of the present invention, as long as it satisfies the requirements for a fiber aggregate specified in the present invention. These short fibers have an average fiber length of 200
mm or less, preferably 150 mm or less is suitable. The fiber bundle of the present invention in the form of short fibers can be used as it is, or can be mixed with other fibers. In this case, if the fiber bundle of the present invention accounts for at least 10% by weight, preferably at least 20% by weight, the characteristics of the fiber bundle of the present invention can be exhibited. Further, the short fibers can be used by themselves or mixed with other short fibers to form a spun yarn. The fiber bundle of the present invention has a cross-sectional shape, size, distribution thereof, and variation of the fiber cross section along the fiber axis direction within a certain range, and such a fiber bundle can be manufactured by conventionally known fiber manufacturing means. In addition, the bundle exhibits various interesting structural properties that could not be obtained from conventionally known materials. The cross-sectional shape, size, distribution thereof, and range of variation in fiber cross-section along the fiber axis direction are partially similar to natural silk or wool, so the fiber bundle of the present invention is similar to natural silk or wool. It can be said that it is possible to provide synthetic fibers with texture and properties similar to natural products. Thus, the fiber aggregate of the present invention can be used as a material for all textile products such as woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, and other nonwoven fabrics. The fiber bundle of the present invention often develops a high degree of crimp through heat treatment due to moderate irregularities in the fiber cross section and length direction and the anisotropic cooling effect provided during fiber forming. This property can be applied to increase the intertwining of fibers. The fiber bundle of the present invention can also be easily applied to the above-mentioned parallel array sheets, orthogonal nonwoven fabrics made by orthogonally bonding them, random structure nonwoven fabrics randomized by applying electricity or air, artificial leather, etc. I can do it. The present invention will be described below with reference to Examples. However, the following examples are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Example 1 A polypropylene (manufactured by Ube Industries, Ltd., textile grade, melting point 440〓) chip was used in an apparatus as shown in FIG. The filamentary fiber bundles were formed using a forming apparatus similar to that shown in FIG. 8, except that apparatus 8 had a single-hole slit nozzle. That is, while continuously feeding the chips into an extruder 2 having an inner diameter of 30 mm, at a temperature range of 200 to 300°C,
After kneading and melting, the molten polymer was sent to the spinning head 6 at a rate of 12 gr per minute by the gear pump 5 , and discharged from a rectangular nozzle having a forming area (So) of about 11 cm ² . The spinneret used for conventional orifice spinning, which has 1000 straight holes with a diameter of 0.5 mm, has a V-shaped cross section (approximately 0.7 mm in width, Depth approx. 0.7
mm) groove to the orifice hole arrangement,
The holes were intersected and drilled at angles of approximately 45° and 135°. The spindle of spinning mode 1 was used. The molding conditions for the filamentous fiber bundle are as follows:
As shown in Table 1, cooling of the polymer discharge surface of the spinneret and its vicinity is performed by cooling air per second that passes through the filamentous fiber bundle from a cooling device having a gas injection nozzle located directly below the spinneret. Go so that it is 7m and complete the denier at a speed of 8m per minute.
A filament-like fiber bundle having a weight of 14,000 denier and a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 1 was obtained. The filament internal cross-sectional variation coefficient CV (F) and filament internal irregularity coefficient ( ) F of the filament-like fiber bundle were measured by the following method, and the results were as shown in Table 2-1. ,
They were 0.18 and 1.22, respectively. Coefficient of variation of filament cross-sectional area CV(F) of filament-like fiber bundle
Select any filament in the fiber bundle, embed it in an ester-based curing resin for fiber fixation (manufactured by Nihon Reichhold Co., Ltd.), and place it in a microtome (ULTRA, made by Japan Microtome Laboratory Co., Ltd.). MICROTOME)
After slicing it into 15μ thick slices, we took an enlarged photo using an optical microscope (metallurgical microscope manufactured by Nikon), cut out the cross-sectional photo of the fiber, measured its weight, and then converted it into a cross-sectional area. The cross-sectional area of each non-circular fiber of the present invention was measured. The cross-sectional area of one fiber at every 1 mm interval was calculated using a sample fixed in the resin with a length of 3 cm, and the cross-sectional area of each fiber at every 2 mm interval was fixed in the resin with a length of 6 cm. Using a sample, also
The cross-sectional area before the 10-mm interval was calculated from equation (11) described in the text from 30 cross-sectional area values using a sample fixed in the resin with a length of 30 cm. The irregularity coefficient (D/d) and the maximum irregularity coefficient [(D/d) max - (D/d) min] (hereinafter also referred to as DIF) of the fiber cross section were determined using the enlarged photograph as described in the text. It was measured by the method. Example 2 Except for the spinneret, the same molding equipment as used in Example 1 was used, and the same polypropylene lenticules (hereinafter referred to as P.
(sometimes abbreviated as P) was melt-extruded and taken off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle having a fiber cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3a. The spinneret is a plain weave with an uneven surface, and the average distance between discharge ports [ ], average peak height [ ], and average peak width [ ] defined in the text are 0.321 mm, 0.117 mm, and 0.220 mm, respectively. A wire mesh is used, and this spinning method is equivalent to spinning embodiment 2 described in the text. Specific measurements of these [], [], and [] values are as follows:
Six cross-sections were cut at 30° intervals, enlarged photographs of the cut surfaces were taken using an optical microscope, and the numerous photographs obtained were analyzed. The spinning conditions were as shown in Table 1-1, and a filament-like fiber bundle with a total denier of 13,000 deniers and an extremely weak net-like filament fiber bundle having a distance between joining points of 6 m per filament was obtained. To measure the above-mentioned distance between junctions, cut the obtained filament-like fiber bundle into a sample length of 10 cm at any point, and then carefully cut each of the 200 fibers one by one using tweezers. The fibers were taken out, and the number of bonding points where the two fibers were fused was actually measured and calculated as follows. 0.1 (m) x 200 fibers/(number of bonding points) = distance between bonding points The average single fiber denier of the filamentous fiber bundle obtained in this example was 1.4 denier, and the solidification cross-sectional area was ] becomes 0.17×10 ^-5 cm ² ,
Further, the solidification length was actually measured to be 0.2 cm by optical microscopic observation. The average single filament denier of the filament-like fiber bundle shown here is based on a cross-sectional photograph of the filament-like fiber bundle taken under magnification using a scanning electron microscope JSM-U ₃ model manufactured by JEOL Ltd.
Each piece was cut, the weight was accurately weighed, and the cross-sectional area was calculated using the formula described in the text. The coagulation cross-sectional area [Al] shown here was calculated from the above-mentioned average single yarn denier [De] actually measured using the formula (10) described in the text. Furthermore, the above-mentioned coagulation length is determined by the fact that during the stable production of filamentary fiber bundles according to the present invention, dry carbonic acid cooled to below freezing is applied to a part of the surface edge of the fiber forming region of the spinneret. By blowing a gas stream, the fibrous flow of the polymer melt discharged from the slits is frozen and solidified as it is, and the 20 fibers are separated from the spinneret and the thinned part is attached to the end. The above filamentous fiber bundles were collected. Using an optical microscope, the thinned parts of each of the obtained fibers were examined in the longitudinal direction of the fibers.
Measure at intervals of 100μ, draw a thinning curve for each fiber from the obtained data, calculate the coagulation length of each fiber from the analysis, and calculate the coagulation length as the average value of these. Lf] was actually measured. In this example, the number of filamentous fibers per unit area (1 cm ² ) at a distance of the coagulation length from the spinneret is 290, which is much higher than the corresponding number of fibers in the conventional orifice type melt spinning method. There are many As in Example 1, the cross-sectional area variation coefficient CV(F) of the filament-like fiber bundle of this example (1 mm interval)
If you select three arbitrary fibers and measure six CV(F) at each 3cm length at both ends of each 0.5m interval, 1m interval, and 1.5m interval, all
It fell within the range of 0.15 to 0.35, with no significant difference. At these six locations, as in Example 1, even when the fiber cross-sectional shape coefficient and the maximum difference in shape coefficient were actually measured, they did not deviate much from the values listed in Table 2-1.
The single fiber strength and single fiber elongation of the filament fiber bundle of this example were determined using 30 arbitrarily selected fibers.
Repeated measurements were taken using a tension meter (Model VTM, manufactured by Toyo Sokki Co., Ltd.), and the average values were found to be 0.86 g/de and 150%, respectively. Further, the filamentary fiber bundle was immersed in boiling water for 10 minutes, air-dried, individual fibers were selected from the fiber bundle, and the number of crimps was observed under an optical microscope. Ta. Furthermore, the filament-like fiber bundle obtained in this example was drawn 2.4 times in a hot water bath at 90 to 100°C, and the performance of the drawn yarn was measured in the same manner as the undrawn yarn. As shown in 2-1, the natural number of turns was exhibited even after drawing, and the fiber strength was also sufficient to be applied to various uses. Example 3 Polypropylene lenticules were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2, except for the spinneret, and taken off while cooling.
A filamentous fiber bundle was obtained. As a spinneret, average discharge port, distance [ ],
The average mountain height [ ] and the average mountain width [ ] are respectively,
Using 0.380 mm, 0.085 mm, and 0.300 mm twill wire mesh (manufactured by Nippon Filcon Co., Ltd., Level Woven Wire Mesh), the fibers were collected while cooling under the spinning conditions shown in Table 1 to obtain a total denier of 29,000 yen. A filamentous fiber bundle having a denier and an average single fiber denier of 1.8 denier was obtained. FIG. 3b is an electron micrograph of a cross section of the obtained fiber bundle taken at an arbitrary location. The fiber morphology and fiber performance of the undrawn yarn of the obtained filamentary fiber bundle were as shown in Table 2-1. By the way, when the X-ray diffraction measurement of the obtained filament-like fiber bundle was performed using the RU-3H model X-ray wide-angle device manufactured by Rigaku Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd. under the following conditions, KVP: 80mA Tavget; Cu Filter ; Ni Pinhol Slit; 0.5 mmφ Exposuve; 60 minute camera radius: 5 cm The X-ray diffraction photograph shown in FIG. 19 was obtained. The fiber morphology and fiber performance of the undrawn yarn and drawn yarn of the filament-like fiber bundle obtained in this example were as shown in Table 2. Example 4 Polypropylene lenticules (PP) were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2, except for the spinneret, and drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. The spinneret used was one in which tapered pins were protruded in a staggered manner from every other slit in the mesh of a plain-woven wire mesh, as shown in the third spinning mode in the text. The average distance between discharge ports of the spinneret used [], average peak height [], and average peak width [] are as follows:
As shown in Table 1, the value was very large, but under the spinning conditions shown in this table, a thick filament-like fiber bundle with an average single fiber denier of 39.0 denier was stably obtained. . The fiber morphology and fiber performance of the undrawn yarn of the filamentary fiber bundle were as shown in Table 2. Example 5 A polypropylene lenticule was melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2 except for the spinneret, and was drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. As the spinneret, as shown in the fourth spinning mode in the text, a sintered metal porous plate body in which a large number of minute bronze metal spheres were densely packed, arranged, and fixed by sintering was used. . The surface of this spinneret has hemispherical irregularities, and the area porosity is approximately 9%. When observed with an optical microscope, the pore size and shape of the pores through which the molten polymer is discharged can be seen. had become very uneven. Nevertheless, under the spinning conditions listed in Table 1, a filamentous fiber bundle with a total denier of 1.3 deniers was stably obtained by drawing at a speed of 30 m/min while cooling. When the cross-section of this filament fiber bundle at an arbitrary point was observed with a scanning electron microscope, a filament-like fiber bundle with an irregular and slightly deformed rectangular cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 4 was obtained.
The undrawn yarn of this filament fiber bundle with non-uniform cross-sectional area and shape, and
Even in a drawn yarn stretched 3.2 times in a hot water bath at 100°C, the cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)], irregular shape coefficient [], and maximum irregular shape coefficient difference [(D/ d)max-(D/d)min] were as shown in Table 2. Example 6 Polypropylene lenticules were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2 except for the spinneret, and drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. As the spinneret, as shown in the fifth spinning mode in the text, a wire diameter of about 0.2 mm is used,
A very large number of stainless steel plain-woven wire meshes woven to have a porosity of about 30% were stacked vertically and compressed to a high density. When this spinneret is used, the polymer melt is extruded in a oozing manner through the laminated gaps of the individual planes of the plain-woven wire mesh, forming a filament having a cross-sectional shape as shown in the scanning electron micrograph of FIG. A fiber bundle was obtained. In this way, even if the fiber cross-sectional shape is irregular, the cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)] is within a certain range,
This filamentary fiber bundle could be stretched 2.9 times in a hot water bath at 90 to 100°C, and a unique fiber texture was obtained. The distance between the joining points of the filamentous fiber bundle obtained in this example was determined to be 0.9 m by the method described in Example 2. Example 7 Polypropylene lenticules were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2 except for the spinneret, and drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. As a spinneret, as shown in the 6th spinning mode in the text, a fungus-like spinneret with a saw-toothed tip is used.

As shown in Fig. 6, a large number of metal plates having [formula] are each approximately 0.25mm thick.
The materials were stacked vertically with an interval of . A scanning electron micrograph of a cross section at an arbitrary point of the filamentous fiber bundle obtained in this example is as shown in FIG. However, when the spinning conditions were changed, there were many cases in which the cross-sectional shapes of the filament-like fiber bundles obtained in the fifth embodiment and the sixth embodiment were different. In this example, the fiber morphology, fiber performance, etc. of the obtained filamentary fiber bundle were as shown in Table 2. Examples 8 to 14 Using a molding apparatus having a spinneret similar to that of Example 3, various of the following polymer chips were melt-extruded as shown in Table 1 to form each polymer. Under suitable spinning conditions listed in the table above,
Each was collected while being cooled to obtain a filamentous fiber bundle made of each polymer. Polyethylene: High density grade manufactured by Ube Industries, melting point 404〓 (abbreviated as PE) Polystyrene: manufactured by Asahi Dow Co., Ltd., Stylon-666 grade melting point 473〓 (abbreviated as P.St) Nylon-6: manufactured by Teijin Co., Ltd., intrinsic viscosity 7 = 1.3 Melting point 496〓 (abbreviated as Ny) Polybutylene terephthalate: manufactured by Teijin Ltd., intrinsic viscosity 7 = 1.1 Melting point 496〓 (abbreviated as PBT) Polycarbonate: manufactured by Teijin Ltd., average molecular weight 24000 Melting point 513〓 (abbreviated as PC) ) Polyethylene terephthalate; manufactured by Teijin, intrinsic viscosity η = 0.71, melting point 540〓 (abbreviated as PET) Polyester elastomer; manufactured by Du Pont,
Hytuel 5556 grade melting point 484〓 (abbreviated as Pes-Elas) The cross-sectional shape of the individual fibers of each filamentary fiber bundle obtained in these examples is
It looked roughly the same as in Figure 3b, and had a non-uniform eyebrow shape. In addition, the fiber morphology and fiber performance of the filamentary fiber bundles of various polymers obtained in these Examples are as shown in Table 2, and the stretching conditions ( (Stretching temperature and stretching ratio, etc.)
As a result of the treatment described below, filamentary fiber bundles having the fiber morphology and fiber performance as shown in Table 2 were obtained, and the fiber texture was good. Example 15 Polypropylene lenticules were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2, except for the spinneret, and drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber aggregate. For the spinneret, the average distance between discharge ports [ ],
The average mountain height [ ] and the average mountain width [ ] are respectively,
Plain weave wire meshes of 0.443 mm, 0.139 mm, and 0.277 mm were used and cooled under the similar spinning conditions shown in Table 1 so that the apparent draft defined in the text was as large as 3800. However, when the spinning speed was 27 m/min, the coagulation length of the filamentary fiber bundle was extremely short, 0.11 cm. The fiber morphology and fiber performance of the obtained filamentary fiber bundle were as shown in Table 2. Example 16 The same spinneret and molding equipment as in Example 15 were used, and the same polymer melt was used, except that the amount of polymer melt dispensed per unit area of the spinneret molding area was much higher. A filamentous fiber bundle was obtained by extrusion and cooling at a take-off speed of 32 m/min. The coagulation length of the fiber when carrying out this example is:
0.28 cm, and even if the amount of polymer melt discharged per unit area increased rapidly, the fiber thinning phenomenon was completed within 1 cm. Example 17 Using the same molding equipment as that used in Example 15 except for the spinneret, and using the same polymer melt while cooling, the average single yarn denier was 31 denier. A large filamentous fiber bundle was collected. In this example, although the average single filament denier was extremely large, the coagulation length of the filament-like fiber bundle was as short as 0.6 cm. Even if the average single yarn denier increases, the values of the fiber cross-sectional area variation coefficient [CV(F)] and irregular shape coefficient [], which are the characteristics of the present invention, Them
The values were at the same level as CV(F) and []. Example 18 This example is an example in which filamentous fiber bundles were produced in a relatively large quantity. Polypropylene (melting point 438〓, melt index 15) chips were continuously fed at a rate of 1070 g per minute from an extruder with an inner diameter of 60 mm, and melt extrusion was performed using a molding device similar to that shown in Figure 8. , but the spinneret is 150
The liquid was discharged from a molding region area of 3000 cm ² in which four rectangular molding regions of cm×5 cm were arranged in parallel.
The unevenness of the surface of the molded area is as described in the first section. The cooling device consisted of two tubes with injection nozzles and a suction tube to provide an escape for the cooling air, allowing the four molding areas to be cooled simultaneously. The obtained filamentary fiber bundle had a total denier thickness of about 1.1 million deniers, and the main properties of the fiber bundle were as shown in Table 2. Example 19 Two rectangular molding areas each having a size of 500 m/m x 50 mm were arranged in parallel, and an extruder with an inner diameter of 40 mm as shown in Fig. 8 was equipped with a nozzle that had a molding area area (So) of 500 cm ² . Polypropylene (melting point
438〓, melt index 20) chips from 200
It was melted in a temperature range of 300° C., and 136 g of the melt was quantitatively extruded per minute using a gear pump under the conditions listed in Table 1. The cooling device is composed of a tubular member having injection nozzles, and is installed in the center of the forming areas arranged in parallel, and cools the melt at and near the respective melt discharge surfaces of the spinneret under the spinneret conditions shown in Table 1-3. Cooling fluid is supplied from the device at a wind speed of 7 to 10 m/sec, and is withdrawn at a speed of 612 cm/min while cooling.
A filamentous fiber bundle was obtained. The main properties of the fiber bundle are shown in Table 2. Example 20 Using a chip of nylon-6 (melting point 488〓),
Extrusion was performed according to Example 19 at a discharge rate of 170 g/min.
A filamentous fiber bundle was obtained under the die conditions and molding conditions shown in Table 1. The main performances of the fiber bundle are listed in Table 2. Example 21 Polybutylene terephthalate (melting point 505〓) chips were continuously fed at a rate of 1540 g per minute from an extruder with an inner diameter of 60 mm to carry out melt extrusion.
The molten polymer was discharged from a die having an uneven surface having a molding area of 3000 cm ² as in Example 18. The conditions of the die are as shown in Table 1. The cooling device is made of a tubular body having an injection nozzle, and blows cold air onto the uneven discharge surface and its vicinity;
The fibrous stream was collected while solidifying to obtain a filamentous fiber bundle. The obtained fiber bundle had a filament internal cross-sectional area variation coefficient CV (F) of 1 mm by the method described in the text.
Interval 0.34 and coefficient of variation of filament cross-sectional area within the bundle
The CV(A) was 0.5, and the fiber bundle was of irregularly shaped and irregular denier with a streak pattern along the fiber axis direction. Note that other performances are as shown in Table 2. Examples 22 and 23 A molten polymer solution was extruded according to Example 19 from a die having a molding area of 500 cm ² using a polyethylene (melting point 410〓, melt index 20) chip. A filamentous fiber bundle was obtained using the method described in the Example 22 column of Table 1 for the die conditions and molding conditions of the molding area. Also polyethylene terephthalate (melting point 538〓)
A filamentary fiber bundle was similarly molded under the molding conditions described in the column of Example 23 in Table 1. Examples 24 and 25 According to Example 2, polyethylene terephthalate (melting point 540〓) was kneaded and melted at a temperature range of 230 to 330 degrees Celsius using a plain weave wire mesh having the same molding area as in Example 2, and a gear pump was used to generate a melt weight of 70 g per minute. The union,
Base made of plain woven wire mesh (0.443mm0.139
0.277), and the wire gauze was extruded from the polymer discharge surface and its vicinity while being cooled with an air flow to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. Nylon-6 (melting point 496) was similarly extruded and taken off while cooling to obtain a filamentous fiber bundle. The molding conditions for this example are shown in Table 1, and the performance of the fiber bundle is shown in Table 2 for each Example 22.
(PET) and Example 23 (Ny). Examples 26 and 27 A porous plate-shaped body made by ball sintering similar to the spinneret described in Example 5 was used, and the size of the forming area was 500 mm.
A polyethylene melt polymer (melting point: 410〓, melt index: 20) was discharged at a rate of 140 g per minute from a molding device shown in Fig. 8, which had two rectangles of m/m x 50 m/m arranged in parallel. The uneven discharge surface of the molding area is cooled by a cooling device having a gas injection nozzle located directly below the middle of the two-hole discharge port, which blows air at a rate of 7 to 15 m/sec toward each discharge surface and its vicinity. A filament-like fiber bundle was obtained by injection. Also, using nylon-6 (melting point 488) chips, extrusion was carried out in the same manner as the polyethylene. still,
Table 1 shows the molding conditions for the filamentous fiber bundle in the polyethylene and the nylon-6.
In addition, the main performance is shown in each example 26 in Table 2.
(PE) and Example 27 (Ny). Example 28 Example 28 Using a mixed chip of 70% by weight of nylon-6 (melting point 496〓) and 30% by weight of polypropylene (melting point 440〓), the spinneret shown in Table 1 was used.
In the same manner as in No. 26, the molten polymer was extruded, cooled, and taken off to form a filamentous fiber bundle. The obtained fiber bundle was a bundle of about 120,000 denier, and each single fiber in the fiber bundle had a different shape and a different denier. First scanning electron micrograph
As shown in Figure 8a (approximately 1000 times magnification) and Figure 18b (approximately 3000 times magnification), a large number of continuous vertical streak patterns along the fiber axis on the fiber surface can be clearly recognized. Furthermore, the filament internal cross-sectional area variation coefficient CV (F) of the fiber bundle according to the method described in the text is calculated at 1 mm intervals.
0.36, the intra-filament irregularity coefficient (D/d) F is
1.67, and the cross-sectional area variation coefficient CV(A) within the focused body is 0.9. Other main properties of the fiber bundle are shown in Table 2.
As shown. Example 29 Using a mixed chip of 60% by weight of polybutylene terephthalate (melting point 505, intrinsic viscosity [η] = 1.2) and 40% by weight of polyethylene (melting point 410, melt index = 20), the yarn shown in Table 1 was spun. Using a die, the uneven discharge surface of the molding region was taken out while being cooled using a molding apparatus as shown in FIG. 8 in the same manner as in Example 26, to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. The main properties of the obtained filamentary fiber bundle are shown in Table 2, and the fiber bundle of irregular shape and denier was confirmed even after drawing. Example 30 Using the same spinneret as in Example 19, 60% by weight of polypropylene (melting point 438〓) was used as the thermoplastic polymer.
A mixed chip of 40% by weight of nylon-6 (melting point 488〓) was continuously fed into a vent type extruder with an inner diameter of 40 mm as shown in Fig. 8, and extruded while melting within a temperature range of 200 to 300 °C. From the vent part of the extruder (Fig. 8-3), nitrogen gas was mixed in at a gas pressure of 60 kg/cm ² using the gas supply device (Fig. 8-4), and the mixture was sufficiently kneaded with a screw. , a gear pump (Fig. 8-5) extruded 150 g of the expandable molten polymer per minute, and a filamentous fiber bundle was formed in the same manner as in Example 19. In addition, as in this example, when two or more types of polymers are used, the melting point and melt viscosity of the mixed system can be determined using the average mixing ratio of each polymer, even when gas is kneaded. However, there is no practical problem in manufacturing. That is, in this example, the melting point and melt viscosity are shown as values determined according to the following calculation formula. Melting point (Tm) = (438 x 0.6) + (488 x 0.4)≒461〓 Melt viscosity [η] = (1100 x 0.6) + (7000 x 0.4)≒3500 poise The obtained filament-like fiber bundle has a total denier (ΣDe) was 200,000 deniers, and the average distance between the joining points of the fibers was about 2 m. In addition, the shape of the fibers constituting this filamentous fiber bundle is such that it has a so-called irregular denier cross section with different shapes and thicknesses, as is clear from the scanning electron micrograph in Figure 21. Obtained. Example 31 Polypropylene lenticules were melt-extruded using the same molding device as that used in Example 2 except for the spinneret, and the polypropylene lenticules were drawn off while cooling to obtain a filament-like fiber bundle. As a spinneret, = 0.212mm, = 0.160
mm, = 0.158mm twill wire mesh (Nippon Filcon
company, Longcrimp Weave Wire Mesh, or
(Also called Semi-Twilled Weave Wire Mesh)
A filamentous fiber bundle having a total denier of 108,000 denier and an average single filament denier of 17.0 denier was obtained by cooling and drawing under the spinning conditions shown in Table 1. Optical micrographs of cross sections at arbitrary locations of the filament-like fiber bundle obtained in this example are shown in the 22nd
Shown in the figure. As is clear from this cross-sectional photo,
The cross section of each fiber was roughly a deformed quadrilateral, and many of the fibers had whiskers in a part of the cross section. Furthermore, if we change the take-up speed of the filamentous fiber bundle over a wide range,
The size of the whiskers shown in FIG. 22 and
The frequency of whisker-like formation changed significantly. The fiber shape and fiber performance of the filamentary fiber bundle obtained in this example were as shown in Table 2. Comparative Example 1 When melt extrusion of polypropylene was attempted from a discharge surface made of a plain-woven wire mesh having an extremely fine uneven structure in accordance with Example 2, the melt formed a sea covering the wire mesh precursor, and the discharge surface and Attempts were made to take it up while rushing around it, but since the unevenness of the discharge surface was so fine that no non-polymer phase (island) was formed, it was difficult to convert the melt into a fibrous rivulet.
The discharged molten liquid ended up being only a film-like discharged product in the form of a continuous adhesive thread. By the way, the unevenness of the molding area of the cap is = 0.02 = 0.007, = 0.01
A stainless steel plain-woven wire mesh was used. Comparative Example 2 A stainless steel plain-woven wire mesh was layered inside the die according to Example 2, and a coarse plain-woven wire mesh (having an uneven structure) having unevenness of =4.08, =0.462, and =1.308 was formed on the surface of the molding area of the die. Attempts were made to extrude polypropylene and nylon-6 from the die to form fibers, but a so-called fibrous material of thick continuous adhesive yarn could not be obtained. Additionally, if the discharge surface is cooled excessively to suppress mutual fusion, a melt fracture phenomenon will occur.
Recesses (valleys) existing between projections (mountains) on the discharge surface
The molten liquid extruded from the slits through the slits did not come and go from other slits adjacent to each other, resulting in frequent cuts and resulting in plastic rod-like shapes, making continuous fiberization difficult. Table 1-4 shows data only for polypropylene as a representative. Comparative Example 3 Polypropylene, nylon-6, polyethylene terephthalate, etc. were extruded in accordance with Example 1 using a spinneret in which a large number of orifices with a diameter of 0.5 mm were bored at 1 mm pitch in a stainless steel plate with a thickness of 5 mm. I tried melting and discharging, but due to the balance effect and bending phenomenon, they fused together and
The fibrous material targeted by the present invention could not be obtained.
In addition, if the discharge surface is excessively rapidly cooled and mutual fusion is suppressed, a melt fracture phenomenon will occur in a large number of orifices, and the filament-like material will break and become a so-called rod-shaped discharge, preventing continuous and stable fiber formation. It was difficult. Table 1 lists data only for polypropylene as representative values. Comparative Example 4 In Example 3, molten polypropylene was extruded under the same die conditions, but fiberization was attempted without any cooling. The molten liquid discharged from the die forming area forms a sea that covers the entire die forming area, and even if the molten liquid falls like a soul from the sea and the polymer temperature is varied over a wide range, it is difficult to form fibers at all. It was hot. Comparative Example 5 100 parts by weight of polypropylene and 1 part by weight of talc were melted in a vent-type extruder, and inert gas (nitrogen gas) was supplied from the vent part, and while kneading, a circular shape with a diameter of 140 mm with a slit interval of 0.025 mm was formed. The foamable polymer was extruded through a slit die. The foamable polymer discharged from the slit die was immediately cooled by cooling air near the discharge port, and a reticulated fiber sheet having a total denier (ΣDe) of 6000 deniers was obtained. The obtained reticular fiber sheet was stretched to about twice the size in the transverse direction perpendicular to the pulling direction, and the distance between the joining points between the reticular fibers was actually measured in a range of about 10 x 10 cm ² ,
When averaged, it was about 6 mm. In this machine, because the distance between the joining points between the fibers is too short, the filament internal cross-sectional area variation coefficient CV (F) in the fiber length direction is 1 mm by the method described in the text. The spacing varies greatly from 0.65 to 1.58 depending on the location, and the filament cross-sectional area variation coefficient within the bundle CV(A) also varies from 0.78 to 1.65. This is because the joints are webbed Y-shaped and the distance between the joints is very short, and the distance between the joints of each fiber in this case is at least 30 cm on average.
As mentioned above, when comparing those with CV(F) of less than 1.0 and those with CV(A) of less than 1.5, the reticular fiber sheet has very high density of joints, and is naturally different from the fiber in this case. It's different.

【table】

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. When producing a filamentary fiber bundle by extruding a melt of a thermoplastic synthetic polymer through a spinneret having a large number of slits, the melt is extruded from a spinneret adjacent to the melt discharge side of the spinneret. A discontinuous convex part is provided in a narrow gap between the convex parts, and the melt extruded from the narrow gap formed through the concave area existing between the convex parts is extruded from another narrow gap adjacent thereto. The melt is extruded from a spinneret that can communicate with the melt, and at this time, the melt is extruded through the slits while being cooled by supplying a cooling fluid to the melt discharge surface of the spinneret and its vicinity. 1. A method for producing a filamentous fiber bundle, which comprises taking a liquid, converting the melt into a number of separated fibrous streamlets, and solidifying the molten liquid. 2. A method for producing a filamentous fiber bundle according to claim 1, wherein a cooling fluid is supplied to the discharge surface and its vicinity so that the solidification length (Lf) as defined in the specification is less than 2 cm. 3. A method for producing a filament fiber bundle according to claim 1, wherein the fibrous stream is drawn with a packing flux (Pf) in the range of 10 ^-4 to 10 ^-1 as defined in the specification. 4. Has a large number of slits on the discharge side for extruding the melt of the thermoplastic synthetic polymer, adjacent slits are provided with discontinuous protrusions, and recesses existing between the protrusions. a spinneret having a structure through which the melt extruded from one slot can communicate with the melt extruded from another slot adjacent thereto; a refrigeration system for cooling the surface of the spinneret; 1. A molding device comprising a means and a taking-off means for taking off a filamentous fiber bundle formed from a melt of the polymer. 5. The molding according to claim 4, wherein the molding area in the spinneret has an average distance ( ) between discharge ports for discharging the polymer melt in the range of 0.03 to 4 mm, according to the definition described in the specification. Device. 6 The forming area of the spinneret is, according to the definition described in the specification, (1) average distance between discharge ports () in the range of 0.03 to 4.0 mm, (2) average peak height () in the range of 0.01 to 3.0 mm. (3) The average mountain width () is in the range of 0.02 to 1.5 mm, and (4) The average mountain height () and the average mountain width () are in the range of 0.3 to 5.0 expressed as ()/(). 5. The molding device according to claim 4, which is a spinneret having a structure having fine irregularities and a large number of polymer discharge ports that satisfy the following.