US2011153A

US2011153A - Drying artificial silk

Info

Publication number: US2011153A
Application number: US746906A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lubberhuizen Jan Willem
Original assignee: American Enka Corp
Current assignee: Akzona Inc
Priority date: 1933-12-21
Filing date: 1934-10-04
Publication date: 1935-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 1952-08-13
Also published as: NL39258C; GB425754A

Description

1935- J. w. LUBBERHUIZEN 2,011,153

DRYING ARTIFICIAL SILK Filed Oct. 4, 1934 m O JW Patented Aug. 13, 1935 PATENT OFFICE name ARTIFICIAL SILK Jan Willem Lubberhuizen, Arnhem, Netherlands, assig'nor to American Enka Corporation, Enka,

N. 0., a'corporation of Delaware Application October 4, 1934, Serial No. 746,906

In Germany DecemberZl, 1933 a Claims.

This invention relates to a process of and an apparatus for drying artificial silk in package form, and more particularly to such process and apparatus by which unsupported packages of ari- 5 tificial silk are caused to be uniformly contracted during drying.

Inthe past, it has been the practice to subject freshly spun packages of artificial silk to wash: ing and other similar wet treating processes while in package form. Subsequent to the wet treatment of the packages they were driedand according to the older procedures during the drying the packages were retained in the spinning pots or on bobbins, or as an alternative the packages were placed on drying supports such as the supports employed when dryingskeins of artificial silk. Another of the heretofore used I methods of drying the packages involved the flattening' of the packages together and the passing of these packages onto drying frames. In all of these past modes of operation the drying progressed throughout the bodies of the packages in substantially all directions.-

One decided disadvantage encountered in the former methods of drying the artificial silk packages was that the thread in the dried packages did not possess uniform dye absorptive characteristics. The reason forfnon-uniform dyeing of the thread'inpackages which were dried under 30 conditions as above set forth is attributable .to

the variable contraction which occurred throughout the respective packages during such drying. When a drying agent is permitted to contact with a package of artificial silk from all directions, the outerlay'ers of the package cannot contract to the same extent as the inner layers thereof since the outer layers cannot shrink freely due to the interior of the package being still moist and more or less rigid with the result that the filaments or m thread of the outer layers meet substantial resistance from the inner layers.

In an efiort to overcome the disadvantages stated above resulting from the use of the older methods of drying artificial silk in package form,

45' various forms oi apparatus were devised with which the drying operation might be conducted in such a manner that the drying of the artiflcial T11: packages would occur progressively from the inside of the package to the outside. Such typesof apparatus and processes are fully described and claimed in copending applications which have been'assigned to the assignee in the present application, and bear the following identification: Serial Number 732,715, filed June 27, 1934, Serial Number 736,939, filed July (Cl. id-24) 25, 1934, Serial Number 740,018, filed August 15, 1934.

Briefly, these applications relate generally to apparatus which comprise means for positioning a plurality of artificial silk packages in such a 6 manner that drying passages are formed through the thread-free interior of the said packages, and upon the introduction of a drying medium into these passages, the drying of the package takes place substantially progressively from the inside 10 to the outside of the package.

Whereas the so-called inside outside drying, when conducted according to the teachings of the aforementioned applications, has produced greatly improved results over the prior practice, 15 insofar as the uniformity of the contraction during drying, and therefore the dyeing is concerned,

it has been found that a certain amount of leakage of the heating medium has occurred around the top and bottom of the packages, and has escaped into the space defined by the outside of the packages and the walls of the container. This has caused a certain amount of drying on the outside of the package before the main part of the drying operation has progressed from the inside to the outside thereof. Accordingly, it has been determined that a small amount of difierence in contraction still exists throughout all parts of the dried package.

' In' attempting to construct an apparatus wherein a process could be conducted which would effect a completely inside outside drying operation, experiments have been carried out in which a plurality of packages of artificial silk were placed in a box-like container having a perforated top and bottom, the said'periorations corresponding to the thread-free interior of the packages, and the space defined by the packages and the walls of the container has. been filled in with an insulating material made of rubber, thick fabric, wood, synthetic resins, etc. It was found however, that such a construction was impractical and ineihcient because of the fact the insulating material employed, always effected a certain amount of heat conduction therethrough, and produced some drying on the outside of the packages of artificial silk.

This invention therefor, hasas an object the provision of a method of overcoming the above stated difliculties and an apparatus for success-- 50 fully carrying out such a method.

Other advantages and objects will be apparent in the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodied in the invention.

Figure 2 is a part planview of Figure 1, and

Figures 3 and 4 are modifications of Figure 2 showing the packages of artificial silk deformed in triangular and hexagonal shapes. e

The invention may be more readily understood by referring to the drawing wherein I indicates a suitable container having side walls 2, and a. perforated base 3. The container is adapted to hold a plurality of artificial silk packages 4. A perforated cover plate 5 is located above the packages, and is preferably adapted to rest thereon. Each perforation 6 in the cover and base is located vertically above and below the thread-free interior of each package so that substantially airtight passages are formed therein for the purpose of confining the heating medium during the drying operation.

The invention resides in first deforming the wet packages of artificial silk into polygonal shapes. By so doing, the packages may be placed within the container in such a manner that only a very small amount of free space exists between the outsides of the packages and between the packages and the walls of the container.

It can readily be seen that when a drying medium is passed through the interior of the packages, it will be confined to the interior of the same, as no other free space exists, and

therefore during the drying operation, outside drying which had previously occurred when employing round packages, is substantially eliminated. The drying progresses in a uniform manner and direction from the inside of each package to the outside, and, as a result of such drying the outer layers of thread are allowed to contract to the same extent as the inner layers.

The scope of the invention is not limited to any specific shape into which the packages are deformed, as any convenient formation may be employed whereby the packages can be closely packed in a drying container or cabinet and thereby greatly facilitate the uniformity of the contraction occurring throughout all parts of the packages during the drying thereof.

It is to be understood that any suitable apparatus maybe used and the invention embodied in this application is not to be limited to the specific form shown in the annexed drawing, as this drawing merely shows one form in which the drying medium is confined to the thread-free interior of each package.

' I claim:

1. A method of drying packages of artificial silk to produce thread contained therein which has been uniformly contracted throughout all parts of the package which comprises deforming the said packages into polygonal shapes and arranging a plurality of the thus formed packages within a drying container with the majority of the peripheral surfaces of the packages in contact, and thereafter drying the packages from the inside to the outside.

2. A method of drying packages of artificial silk to produce thread contained therein which has been uniformly contracted throughout all parts of the package which comprises deforming the said packages into square shapes and arranging a plurality of the thus formed packages within a drying container with the majority of the peripheral surfaces of the packages in contact, and thereafter drying the packages from the inside to the outside.

3. In the drying of unsupported packages of artificial silk from the inside to the outside thereof, the method which comprises deforming the said packages into polygonal shapes and arranging a plurality of the thus formed packages within a box-like container in such a manner that substantially no free space exists between the sides, top and bottom of the container and the packages, and a majority of the I peripheral surfaces of the packages are in contact whereby when a drying medium is introduced into the container it is confined to the thread-free interior of each package only.

4. A method of drying packages of artificial silk to produce thread contained therein which has been uniformly contracted throughout all parts of the package which comprises deforming the said packages into triangular shapes and arranging a plurality of the thus formed packages within a drying container with the majority of the peripheral surfaces of the packages in contact, and thereafter drying the packages from the inside to the outside.

5. A method of drying packages of artificial silk to produce thread contained therein which has been uniformly contracted throughout all parts of the package which comprises deforming the said edges into hexagonal shapes and arranging a plurality of the thus formed packages within a drying container with the majority of the peripheral surfaces of the packages in contact, and thereafter drying the packages from the inside to the outside.

JAN WIILEM LUBBERHUIZEN.