US1572955A - Process and apparatus for the manufacture of artificial threads - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 16 1926. 1,572,955

E. PRiNCE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS Filed Oct. 1]., 1923 BY: i l-41w ATTOR NH.

3 l i g Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITED STATES PTENT QFFICE.

EDMOND PRINCE, or LYON, FRANCE ASSIGNOR r0 LA socrn'rn POUR LA. FABRI- CATION DE LA SOIE RI-IOZDIASETA, or rams, FRANCE, A CORPORATION or FRANCE.

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL THREADS.

Application filed October 11, 1923.

To all u /10m it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMOND PmNon, of Lyon, France, a citizen of the Confederation of Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Artificial Threads, of which the following .is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in processes and apparatus for the manufacture of artificial filaments of all kinds by the gathering together of several fibres obtain-ed by flowing or spinning downwardly, in an atmosphere, heated or not, of a fluid more or less viscous, of suitable composition, comprising essentially: (1) a solvent or solvent mixture (A) volatile in the operating conditions selected for the spinning of the said fluid; (2) a body or mixture of bodies (B) suitably selected, nonvolatile in the operative conditions adapted for the spinning, and which, freed by evaporation from the liquid or mixture of liquids (A) constitutes the substance of the artificial filament at the exit of the spinning device. The body or mixture of bodies B may be constituted, for instance, by an ether, an ester or another derivative of cellulose, or by a. mixture of these ethers, esters or cellulose derivatives, or yet by a cellulose derivative or mixture of derivatives with plastifying agents or non-volatile solvents of these derivatives. The mixture may also include in any of the cases above, one or more definite substances, added for various purposes, which either remain in the finished filament, as for instance to dye it, or which are removed subsequently.

In such processes the essential part of the spinning apparatus comprises most general- 1y a vertically placed cage or cell, closed or almost closed, of suitable height and of horizontal dimensions relatively small. At the top is placed the spinning device, hereafter called the die for the sake of simplicity, and which comprises essentially holes or orifices the diameter of which is generally very small, and the number of which, relatively high, corresponds to the number of fibres of the single filament, or of the filaments in any number which it is desired to obtain from each spinning apparatus.

The cell is generally the seat of an upward Serial No. 667,872.

current of air or of another gaseous atmosphere, intended to carry off the vapors of the volatile solvent or solvent mixture (A) outside the cell, by an aperture gcnerah ly situated near the upper portion of this cell, to lead them, for instance, if desired, to suitable recuperation apparatus.

This atmosphere is often heated to a suitably selected temperature for facilitating the evaporation of the volatile solvent or solvents (A) without however interfering with the proper working of the spinning apparatus. This heating may be carried out by any suitable means; either the gaseous atmosphere, heated outside the cell by any known means, is introduced hot at the bottom of the cell, or it is introduced in the latter at ordinary temperature, the cell containing coils or other thermal radiators suitably arranged, or still the walls of the cell are constituted wholly or in part by heating walls according to any known means.

The heating may be carried out or arranged so as to obtain a regular suitable temperature in the whole of the inside of the cell, or yet so as to obtain different temperatures at diiferent levels of the cell, for instance, and preferably, less high at the dies, so as to regulate the prop-er working of the spinning apparatus; the regulation of the temperatures being watched by means of thermometers suitably located.

In such apparatus, the fluid to be spun, brought to the die at a suitable pressure, by any known means, after having passed through, if required, any accessory apparatus such as filters, thermal or pressure regulators, etc., flows by the orifices in the die and falls downwards through the atmosphere of the cell. As the volatile solvent or mixture of such solvents (A) evaporates, each isolated fibre solidifies and acquires consistency. From the moment this consistency is recognized as being sufficient, the

isolated fibres may be gathered together in one or more filaments, which are taken out of the cell by one or more orifices and by means of any suitable means.

By providing, if desired, glass panels in the walls of the cell, the working of the spinning apparatus may be inspected.

Doors or other openings suitably disposed make it possible to remedy any defective working. One or more of these, disposed at the height of the die or dies, make it possible to clear any obstructed orifice, or to replace a defective die or portion of die. To facilitate this operation, the die or dies may be movable round one or several vertical axes, so as to bring, when required, each of their essential parts opposite the corresponding opening. One or more other openings or doors make it possible to re unite to the filament one or more isolated fibres which might have got broken, or yet to take up again the filament itself if quite broken to lead it again out of the cell, or finally to clean the cell or to carry out any other operations which might be necessary or required.

Any other accessory apparatus may also be placed inside the cell, for any required purpose. Lastly, each cell may be isolated from the other cells, or on the contrary, any number of cells may be grouped together to form as many compartments of a spinning machine.

None of the apparatus actually known, of the general type above described, al lows at the same time the automatic reuniting of the isolated fibres in threads or filaments and the automatic or practically automatic exit outside the cell of the filament or filaments obtained.

I have found that these results may be obtained as follows.

For the sake of clearness, each die or set of dies used for the preparation of a single filament is called hereafter a die unit. In the apparatus which is the object of the present invention there may be only a die unit in each cell, but there may be also in each cell any number of die units. In this case each of them is sufliciently distant from the others to allow the regular working of the device, which will be described in connection with one of them only.

Below the die unit, or each of them, and at a suitable distance, is situated a kind of conical funnel, the apex of which is directed downwards and the rim of which is sufiiciently wide and is suitably placed, so

that any isolated fibre issuing from the die unit and falling inside the cell meets the inside of the said funnel. The said fibre is, in this manner, led naturally towards the apex and, on its way, it meets other isolated fibres with which it unites, or else the remainder of the filament, with which it unites and which carries it along towards the apex.

At the apex is placed the orifice from which the filament issues outside the cell, this orifice being suitably shaped to this end. It will be understood that it will be sufficient that asingle isolated fibre. and a fortiori, severalunited fibres, should issue from the cell through this opening in order that the whole filament, with all the fibres produced by the orifices of the die unit should also be carried out of the cell. lVhen starting, or if the whole filament breaks inside the cell, it will then be sufficient, in order to cause the whole filament to come out, to bring out of the cell a single isolated fibre, whether it issues naturally through the outlet orifice, or is pulled from the outside through this orifice by means of a little hook .or otherwise, or yet by putting it there after having opened a little window passing through the outlet orifice, or in any other suitable manner.

While the apparatus is working, and if thethread breaks outside the cell, this operation will not be necessary. Even if the fibres have been deposited anyhow at the bottom of the funnel, during a relatively long time, it will be sufiicient to puli on the end of the filament which issues from the cell to bring rapidly the regular filament outside the outlet opening.

Besides, known winding or mechanically propelling devices can be arranged, if desired, under this opening, to collect the thread after breakage and avoid, in the pre ceding case, the deposit of fibres on the bot tom of the apparatus.

Of course, after the exit or after the winding and propelling devices mentioned above, the thread will be guided towards all the usual known arrangements of spindle or reeling frame or both simultaneously, or others, after having been submitted, if required, to operations of stretching or traction, of moistening, of impregnating or any other desired treatment.

The advantages of the arrangements, ob ject of the present invention, will be readily appreciated. Not only a considerable loss -of time and much labor will be avoided when starting the spinning machines, which is of primary importance, but this same lessening of time and labor will be obtained in case of any incident or accident of manufacture, such, for instance, as the breakage, involuntary or even voluntary, of the fibres or filaments. Moreover, the proportion of waste not directly utilizable will be thereby reduced. It is well known that such breakages, voluntarily done, are frequent, for instance, to allow a change of the bobbins of the spindle or the reeling frame.

The fact that it is not necessary to open wide apertures to attend to the incidents or accidents of manufacture will often limit their extent or their gravity, for it is known that the draught of air, resulting therefrom,

is not always without danger to the uniformity of the spinning, especially when the isolated fibres which it is sought to obtain are very fine.

Finally it is known that the introduction of air resulting from such apertures, with which one has had to put up hitherto, is not without inconvenience for the easy and complete recuperation of the volatile solvent or solvents (A) made use of in the manufacturing process.

As an example, a process and apparatus of manufacture, according to this invention, will be described hereafter, being an appliation of these to the manufacture of artificial silk from solutions of cellulose acetate in mixtures of ethyl alcohol and acetone, it being well understood that this illustration by no means limits the scope of-the invention, either in respect of the materials used and the resulting product or in what concerns any one detail of the parts and mate rials which constitute the apparatus, accord ing to the invention, the general character of the latter having been described above.

For greater simplicity, the description will be limited to a single die unit. The case of several cells containing one or more die units, is easily deduced by a generalization within reach of any person verseftin the art.

Referring to the appended drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation of this cell unit, Fig. 2 being a vertical section of this cell. In this drawing, 1 is the wall of the cell, supposed cylindrical and of metal and formed of sections 1 and 1 suitably assembled together, the whole being supported by a suitable stand not shown. 2, 2 represent double heating walls, with an adjustable hot water circulation entering by the piping 3, 3 and leaving by the piping 4, 4; these walls being ther mally insulated externally by laggings 5, 5. The two double heating walls may be in series, or, on the other hand, independent, and heated at equal or ditlerent temperatures. Thermometers 6, 6, placed at different levels, permit the temperature inside the cell being watched. 7 represents a die unit formed of several elementary dies 7, 7, and movable about its axis 8 in the stuffing box 9. It receives the solution of cellulose acetate in a suitable mixture of ethyl alcohol and acetone, which it is required to spin, through a piping 10 coming from any suitable arrangement for filtration, putting under pressure, etc. 11 represents the conical metal part of the funnel. on the polished inside of which the spun fibres can slide. 12 is the outlet opening for the thread, provided in a piece of bronze 13, made in two parts, and placed at the apex of the conical portion. 14 is a door, in the conical portion, attached to one of the parts of the bronze piece 13.

The dotted lines 15, 15 represent isolated fibres forming, by being united together, the thread 16 which, after passing through the delivery device 17, is taken to any desired or suitable apparatus. 18 is a roller placed under the orifice 12, and mechanically driven by any known means (not shown) on g I i which the thread 16 winds when it is broken outside the cell, voluntarily or involuntarily. 19 is a small door giving access to the die 7 or to one of its parts. 20 is, on Fig. 1, a glass panel allowing observation of the spinning operations. The air which has entered into the cell by the exit orifice 12 becomes laden therein ith volatile vapors and is aspirated by the tube 21 at the top of the apparatus. The working of this apparatus is clear from the description and from the preceding explanations.

I am aware that in similar apparatus heretofore proposed, tunnel or conical shaped bottoms have been provided. In all of such apparatus, however, because of the fact that the bottoms were placed immediately below the die, the wet filaments or fibres as they left the die adhered to the conical wall of the funnel-shaped member and would not pass down to the exit opening. For this reason it was necessary to provide means for forcing the fibres to travel toward the opening without touching the wall of the conical member. In the ap aratus herein described, however, the funnelshaped member is disposed at such a distance below the die, that the filaments are dry before they reach the wall of the tunnel-shaped member. Consequently, the filaments reaching this wall have completely lost their tacky exterior condition so that even it they touch the wall they will not adhere to said wall but will readily slide thereon toward the openin This drying action is greatly assisted by provision for heating the cylindrical chamber as described and shown herein.

TVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus for dry spinning artificial filaments, comprising, a die unit, means for supplying a viscous material to said die unit, a drying chamber below said die unit, and a funnel-shaped member in communication with the lower end of said drying chamber and provided with an outlet orifice at its apex for discharging the filaments issuing from the die unit, the organization being such that the filaments will be dry before reaching the tunnel-shaped member.

2. An apparatus for dry spinning artificial filaments, comprising a vertical chamber closed at its upper end, a die unit disposed within said chamber adjacent to its upper end, means for supplying a viscous material to said die unit, and a funnelshaped member closing the lower end of said chamber, said member being provided with an outlet orifice at its apex.

3. An apparatus for dry spinning artificial filaments, comprising, a die unit, means for supplying a viscous material to said die unit, a drying chamber below said die unit, a funnel-shaped member in communication with the lower end of said drying chamber from the die unit, the organization being such that the filaments will be dry before reaching the funnel-shaped member, and a hinged member for controlling said orifice.

5. In the dry-spinning of artificial filaments the process of collecting isolated filaments, which consists in causing said filaments in dry condition to fall on a conical wall thereby causing the filaments to slide toward each other.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDMOND PRINCE.

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