US1617803A - Treatment of amosite asbestos - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 15, 1927.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES cow, 0E nomroan, ENGLAND.

TREATMENT or AMosITE ASBESTOS.

w No Drawing. Application filed April 3, 1926, Serial No. 99,672, and in Great Britain February 23, 1925.

This invention relates to the treatment of amosite asbestos to prepare it for splnnmg into yarn for asbestos textile fabric or for any other commercial purposes to which as bestos fibres are applied or applicable.

Amosite is the name iven to a variety of asbestiform mineral believed to belong to the amphibole class and physically characterized by'an exceptional length and stiffness of-fibre which renders itvery difiicult to work.

When crude Jamosite asbestos is subjected in the dry state to crushing or breaking, which in the usual preliminary step in the treatmentof other varieties of crude asbestos, the longer amosite fibres rapidly break up and in many cases are reduced almost to powder, and the shorter fibres separate and are lost in the form of a light fluff. Chiefly for these reasons the large deposits of amosite which have recently become available have not come into general use for commercial purposes.

I have found that if crude amosite asbestos is wetted to a suitable degree (before brushing or breaking or opening) the longer fibres are rendered soft and pliable and the shorter fibres are bound or agglomerated therewith and prevented from escaping in the subsequent operations and the matenal is rendered available or suitable for manufacturing processes.

According to the present invention therefore-crudeamosite asbestos is treated with a' softening agent before being subjected to crushing or breaking or opening. This softening agent may be any suitable liquid which will nothave a deleterious chemical effect on the material. I have found that water is p'erfectly suitable, and for economical reasons I prefer to use Water or wet steam, sufficient of which should be used to nake the material distinctly damp to the ee After this wetting or softening the material may then be subjected to crushing or breaking and thereafter operated. upon according to the final product required. I,

prefer to put the wetted or, softened material through a crushing mlll rather than a breaking machine since the latter is more suitable for the shorter fibred varieties of asbestos..-

The crushing. mill :is preferably of the type known as edge runner crushing mills, the peripheries of the crushing rollersbe ing advantageously rounded in cross-section to prevent or reduce breaking or cutting effects on the material.

Where the amositefibre is to be spun into yarn or made up into lagging'for boilers and hot plpes and the likeit is passed from the crushing machine to an opener and then to a teasing and willowing machine before passing to the carding machine, after which. the processes differ according to the product required.

Furthermore according to this invention I have found that after wetting or moisten ing'the said material (amosite) to soften same as aforesaid I can if desired, omit the aforesaid step of crushing or breaking said softened material, and simply pass this material, after it has been wetted or moistened and softened as aforesaid, direct to an opener and then tothe teasing and wil lowing machine and thereafter to the cardtion, and thereafter operating upon same ac;

cording to the final product required.

2. The herein described process of treat ing and bestos textile fabric and for other commer-j cial purposes to which same is-applicable,'

before crushing asbestos while in the crude state to thereby soften same, then which consists in wetting and j-breaking such amosite subjecting same'while in the wetted and softened state tocrushing, advantageously in preparing amosite asbestos of the. 'kll'ld specified for spinning into yarn for as a crushing mill of the type known as an edge runner crushing mill, then subjecting this crushed material to an opening action, then passing same in the following sequence through (a) teasing (b) willowing and (a). carding machines, and thereafter spinning same into yarn, substantially as set forth.

-.3. The herein described processpf treating and preparing asbestos of the kind specified for asbestos textile fabric andfor other lit) "commercial purposesto which same is applicable, WhlCh consists in wetting before crushing and breaking such amosite asbestos while in the crude state to thereby soften samefthen subjecting same while in the Wetted and softened state to crushing, advantageously in a crushing mill of the t pe known as an edge runner crushing mill, t en subjecting this crushed material to an openingaction, then passing same in the following sequence through (a) teasing (b) willowing and (0) carding machines, and thereafter subjecting same to any suitable operation according to the product required substanti ally as set forth. V 4. The herein described process of treating and preparing amosite asbestos .of the kind specified for spinning into yarn for asbestos" textile fabric and for other commercial pur oses to which same is applicable, which consists in wetting before crushing and breaking such amosite as-i be'stos while in the crude state to thereby soften same, then subjecting same while in the Wetted and softened state to an o ening action, then passing same in the folibwing sequence through (a) teasing (b) willowing and (a) carding machines and thereafter spinmrizg same into yarn, substantially as set to .stantially as set forth.

5. The herein described process of treating and preparing amosite asbestos of the kind specified for asbe:tos textile fabric and for other commercial purposes to which same is applicable, which consists in Wetting before crushing and breaking such amosite asbestos While in the crude state to thereby soften same, then" subjecting same While in the wetted and softened state ,to an opening action, then passing same in the following sequence thro'ugh' (a) teasing (b) willowing and (c) carding machines and thereafter subjecting same to any other suitable operation according to the product required sub- 6. The herein described process for the treatment specifically of amosite asbestos, which consists in preliminarily moistening with water and steam the crude amosite asbestos to a degree to render the longer fibers soft and pliable and to bind and agglomerat'e therewith the shorter fibers whereby to prevent the'escape of such shorter fibers from the longer fibers inthe subsequent manufacturing operations, and secondly passing the material while wettedand softened directly to the o ener without intermediately crushing-and reaking the amosite asbestos.

JAMES GOW: