US2086590A

US2086590A - Textile material and method of making the same

Info

Publication number: US2086590A
Application number: US611943A
Authority: US
Inventors: Whitehead William
Original assignee: Celanese Corp
Current assignee: Celanese Corp
Priority date: 1932-05-17
Filing date: 1932-05-17
Publication date: 1937-07-13
Anticipated expiration: 1954-07-13

Description

Patented July 13, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TEXTILE MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MAK- Celanese Corporation of America,

of Delaware a corporation No Drawing. Application May 17, 1932, Serial No. 611,943

12 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment or preparation of staple fibres which are more suitable for spinning or other textile operations.

I An object of my invention is to prepare or treat staple fibres, particularly fibres made of organic derivatives of cellulose with a material adapted to destroy or diminish the tendency of such fibres to develop electrostatic charges when manipulated, so that the staple fibres may be successfully associated together to form spun yarn.

Other objects of my invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The formation of spun yarn from comparatively short lengths or staples 01' filaments or threads composed of organic derivatives o1 cellulose presents serious difliculty. This is due to the fact that such organic derivatives of cellulose have a very high di-electric constant and when the filaments are rubbed together during the various operations involved in spinning, a great static charge of electricity is produced. Because of the static electrical charge, the staple fibres do not adhere to each other readily and cause great difiiculty in the spinning operation.

I have found that if a solution of an electrolyte in a solvent of relatively high boiling point is applied to or incorporated in staple fibres, the

tendency to generate static electricity during the spinning operation is greatly reduced. More- 'diificulty encountered in cutting such filaments to uniform staple lengths is overcome.

In accordance with my invention I prepare staple fibres containing a solution of an electrolyte ina solvent of relatively high boiling point. This solution of electrolyte may be incorporated in relatively continuous lengths of artificial filintermediate stage of the spinning operation or to the spun yarn itself. 1 While this invention is of lulose such as lulose ethers.

organic esters oi cellulose and celmethylamine, methylamine hydrochloride or a mixture of two or more 01' these.

As a solvent for the electroylte I prefer to employ a liquid having a relatively high boiling 40 'ford system, etc. 7 includes thepreliminary olefine glycols such as the monomethyl ether of ethylene glycol, the mono ethyl ether of ethylene glycol or the diethylether of diethylene glycol. In order to stablize the solution against change of volume, viscosity or concentration due to evaporation or absorption of water, it is preferable to add a quantity or water substantially equal to the amount of water these liquids tend to absorb from the air, the amount of water being 30% in the case or diethylene glycol, 13% in the case of ethylene'glycol and'33% in the case of glycerol.

The amount of electrolyte present in the solution and the amount of solution appliedwill vary in accordance with the nature of both the electrolyte and solvent, the nature of the staple fibres and the result to be obtained. Generally the electrolyte will be present in concentrations of 1 to 25%, and the amount of solution applied or incorporated in the fibres will be from 1 to 40% of the weight of the fibres.

The filaments or yarns may be treated with the solution of the electrolyte while they are still in the comparatively continuous lengths in which they are formed. Conveniently the solution of electrolyte may be applied bymeans of wicks, rollers or other furnishing devices to the yarns or filaments while they are in transit. A desirable method is to apply the electrolyte solution to the artificial silk immediately after they leave the spinning cabinet in which they are formed while on the way to a cutting device which cuts them into staple fibre. A suitable arrangement for cutting the yarn after leaving the spinning machine is shown and described in the U. S. application No. 278,884 filed May 18, 1928. If desired, the relatively continuous lengths may be treated in the form of hanks or other suitable package prior to being cut into staples or chapp of suitablelength.

Instead of treating the filaments after their formation with the solution of electrolyte, such solution may be added to or incorporated in the spinning solution from which said filaments are formed, whereby filaments containing such,- solution are formed directly.

Alternatively the staple fibres, either occurring naturally, or cut from continuous lengths of natural silk or artificial filaments may be treated with the solution of electrolyte in which case the staple fibres may be placed in bags which are immersed in the bath of the solution and which for convenience may be tied in bundles prior to immersion in the bath. The treatment of the staple fibres during an intermediate stage of the spinning operations such as immediately after lapping, carding, drawing or slubbing is not excluded from this invention.

As to the length of the staples, lengths: ranging from 0.75 to 10" or more in length are suitable. The artificial filaments may be of any suitable weight per unit length, s'ay from'l to30' 'deniers or more, examples of which are 1.9, 3.5 or 5.5 denier.

After treatment with the solution of electrolyte, the short lengths of filaments or threads are then subjected to a suitable spinning operation, such as is used for the spinning of short lengths of natural silk, cotton or wool fibres to form threads by any of the well known systems, such as the Cotton, the French, the Worsted, the Wool, the-Spun Silk, the Brad- This spinning operation also treatments necessary to Pte g the filaments-or fibres lathe i031! required for the actual operation of twisting them into yarn.

In order further to illustrate. my invention, but without being limited thereto, the following specific' examples are given.

Example I way to the cutting device, the ends are caused to pass over wicks which furnish 2 to 3% of the weight or the filaments of the following finish:

' a Parts by weight- Diethylene. glycol Water 30 Magnesium chloride 10 Application of this finish is conveniently accomplished by contacting the filaments with hard lamp wicks -which dip into the finish, the wicks being positioned at the foot of the spinning cabinets so that the filaments contact with the finish immediately after they leave the spinning chamber. Cut fibres so produced are substantially free of and resistant to the development of .electrostatic charges and may be spun into yarn without any difllculty.

Example 11 The process of Example I is repeated with the exception that the amount of finish applied is increased to 8% of the weight of the finish. To accomplish'this, softer wicks of higher capillarity are employed, or the wicks may be replaced by furnishing rollers dipping in a trough containing the finish and rotating at convenient speeds. The results are similar to those obtained in Example I, but the fibres'have a slightly damp handle and a slight scroop which causes better binding or adhesion between up of the yarn by a spinning process.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations maybe made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention. I

Having described my invention, what" I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of forming prising spinning staple or short lengthsof artificial filaments made of organicderivatives of cellulose, which filaments contain a hygroscopic solution comprising an electrolyte having no deleterious action on the filamentsl and a major proportion of an alcohol having a boiling point above 100 C.

2. Method of forming spun yarn, which comprises spinning staple or short'lengths of artificial filaments made of organic derivatives of cellulose, which filaments contain a solution comprising magnesium chloride and a major proportion of diethylene glycol.

3. Method of forming spun yarn, which comprises spinning staple or short lengths of artificial filaments made of cellulose acetate, which filaments contain a solution comprising magnesium chloride and a major proportion of diethylene'glycol. 1

' 4. Method of forming staplefibres comprising extruding a solution of cellulose acetate through orifices into a setting medium, applying to the filaments so formed a solution comprising an the fibres in the building spun" yam coma boiling point above C. 8. Relatively short fibres or filaments made of cellulose acetate containing a hygroscopic solu- 3 tion containing magneelum 'cl iloride and a major proportion of an alcohol having a boiling point above 100 C.

WILLIAM WHI'I'EHEAD.