US2789315A - Wet spinning apparatus - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1957 Filed June 26, 1953 C. PISTOR EI'AL WET SPINNING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 23, 1957 c. PISTOR ETAL WET SPINNING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 26, 1953 United States Patent WET SPINNING APPARATUS Christel 'Pistor, Drexel Hill, and Henry J. McDermott,

Colling'dale, Pa, assignors to American Viscose Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application June 26,1953, filerialrNo. 364,294-

10 Claims." (C1; 18 8) The present invention relates to systems for extruding liquidfilament-forming materials and particularly to systems-wherein one of such materials may be spun into a A problemdnoperating spinning apparatus of this type is that of starting'theextrusion of material through'the spinneret and thereupon successfully coagulating, the ma terialand lacing'itthrough the tube without any fouling" of the spinneret. Moreover, it is-necessary to produce an extruded product free from small masses vof coalesced. material so that the resulting yarn will pass readily through? guides in progressing through and to s'ucceedingftreab ments.- Where spinning is performed in a closedch'arri-f ber'frorn which the extruded material is discharged/upwardly from an upwardly-facing. spinneret, the problem is particularly troublesome because the spinneret is necessarily subjected to the pressure corresponding to the height of the coagulant necessary to carry the strand-Jot extruded product upwardly through the spinning tube. Therefore, if the spinneret is placed in the operatingposition without a coagulatable filament-forming material passing therethrough, and the flow of coagulant is started before the filament-forming material is supplied to the spin neret, then "the coagulant is likely to enter the orifices 0f" the spinneret. Consequently, when spinning!orlextru'siorr is attempted, coagulum may be formedt within the orifices or behind the'face of the spinneret whereuponl the'spi'n neret becomes fouled. If extrusion is commenc'e'dibefor'e the flowof coagulant is started, the 'extruded m'ate'ri'al fi'ows back upon the face of the upwardly-facingspinneret; If an extruded substance is sticky, asiis the case withvis cose solution, the-spinneretmay be fouled if the extruded material is allowed to flow back on its face. Moreover,

any material extruded into the spinning chamber before the flow of coagulant is started usually collects in masses which when later caught by thecurrent of coagulantm'ay be floated about the chamber and the spinning'tube and thus become attached: to the strand being formed' therein.

Such masses attached to thestrand, wh'i'ch at this stage is :in a nascent condition, orany enlarged portions of the strand, may cause breakage of'the filaments in-' atte'mpting to pass through a guide having 'a' restricted passageway. 1

It is an'object of thep'resentinvention to provide' areadily laceable apparatus for spinning a filament-form ing material into a coagulant or filament-hardeningliquid in'whichi the'spinneret of :therapp'aratus faces upwardly in' acl'osed spinning'chamber. Object ancillary to the'foregoingiobject are to efiect the transfer of the spinneretfr'om anon operati'ngposition outside the 'chamber-to its oper atirig' p'osition whereupon the extruded material may be ii-EFa ntlythreaded through a dischargetube, and tofco agfil'at'e' any strand-forming materialdischarged fromth'e' 2,789,315 Patented-Apr. 23; 19.57

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2 spinneret prior tozreachingt the :operatingsposifibmz. A" further object is to provide a chamber for preheatingathe: strand-formingliquid. before the extrusion thereof in ape paratus; such chamber beingadditional to .a'closed chann. ber employed incarrying out the above-namedrobjects.- Other objects, features, and advantagesawillbecome-lap parent from the followingdescription of the invention and; the drawings relating thereto in which;

Fig; 1 is a shortened elevation, partly in section, as taken along line I'-I of Fig; 2 illustrating one embodiment. of spinning apparatus in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in: sectiomtakentalong line II-II' of Fig. 1;

Fig, 3 is a sectional: view of-a .fluid-distributortakeu alongxline III-III of Fig.v 1;

Fig. 4 is anrelevation, partly in section, illustrating another embodiment of the inventionyand I Fig. 5 is a fragmentary'section:taken along line-V-V of .Fig; 4 illustrating: in greater detail a strand-'severing member;

In-brief, the-invention concerns spinning apparatus comprising a spinningrchamber, an'open-top chamber in lateral disposition therewith and having a wall, preferablya: wall in common :with'the spinning chamber for separating the chambers; and a spinneret mountedon. apivotable' member-With thepivotal axis thereof "disposed forswing-= ingEthe spinneret from: axposition above the open-top chamberfthrough ancpening in the'wall.int0 normal oper ating rposition: within 1 the; spinning chamber. The pivot-* ablemember hast-a. closure: portiorr adapted to close the opening-When:.the:spinneret is disposed in operating'posi tionu Whensthe spinneret is aligned'relative to'the'-mem-- berrso that it assumesitsrnormal. spinning position within the -spinning chamber, it facesinto a spinning tube. err-' tending frominteriorly of the spinningchamber upwardly to a region above'thespinningchamber. Theopentop chamber is adapted to receiveliquid from the spinningchamber through the" opening: and fill "toa: liquid level 3 which 'submerges the opening when the closure portion of .the memberi'is not inip'laceith'ereover; The open-top chamberimay'be' further adapted to either sustain the desired levelor-to'ipermit drainage of the open-topa'ch'am ber following the positioning of the .spinneret' and the-clos ing of the opening =for:normalloperation. V

' Proceedingnowtozdetailszin the construction and op'er--' at-iorr. of. the embodiment. .ofi the apparatus illustrated in Figsjsl and'2, afilament-formingcmat'erial, such as viscose solution;abs-extruded through a spinneret "5 supported by a :piv'otable: arm; 6 "and: aniextension-7thereof. The -armhas a closu-r'e portion18 provided with a groove into which fits a resilient .ringill. The closure portion seats within the? opening: or-portzextending through a lateral wall of I 'a housing14 defining;- the.chamber 15; The ring 11, partly" contained within the. groove ofithe :closure 8, engages=the-" periphery of aplateral openingfof thech'amber '15toseal it from communication with a chamber 16 disposedin teriorly of the" container 18; Thecontainer 18 andthe housing-14 havea common wall.19 in which the opening whichreceivesithe closurevStofthe arm 6 is formed. The container' ltirhas aipairiof spaced walls'21 and"22.- The wall 22zhasafiplur-ality of apertures' 23 extendingthrough' anuupper portion. thereof: which determines the overflow tiguous' with-thepassageway'of a drainage duct"2 5by" which liquid overflowing from the chamber may be led away from a spinning apparatus.

During normal operation of the apparatus with the spinneret disposed as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chamber 16 has disposed therein a coiled 'tube or rounder 27 of which the ends thereof are connected to different portions of the arm 6 by couplings 28 and 29. The coils of the tube 27 are preferably disposed substantially below the level of the apertures 23 whereby the tube may function more efliciently as a heat exchanger to transfer heat from the liquid in the chamber 16 to the filamentforming material passing through the tube. The arm 6 with the tube attached thereto is mounted with an end of the arm held pivot-ably between two spaced brackets or extensions 33, 34 which extend from the top of the housing 14 and the wall 19 by two bolts 32 and 35. The bolt 32 is hollow to render it fluid conductive. The filament-forming material is supplied to the apparatus through a tube 31 connected to the hollow bolt 32 which extends through the bracket 33 in threaded relationship therewith. The other bolt 35 is aligned coaxially with the bolt 32 and extends through the bracket 34 in threaded relation therewith. The arm 6 has coaxial recesses in which the ends of the bolts seat. The arm 6 is bored axially and radially to provide a passageway extending between the hollow bolt and the tube 27. This type of pivotal joint is one well known in the art.

The housing 14 has an upwardly-extending annular neck 36 adapted to receive a tube 37. The neck 36 may be counterbored as shown to provide a diameter complementary to the outer surface of the tube 37 and to the outer surface of an externally threaded packing-gland nut 39 which may be screwed downwardly against a packing material 40 to prevent any leakage between the tube 37 and the housing 14. The tube 37 extends upwardly through a grommet 41 into a compartment 44 which collects used coagulant discharged therein from the tube 37. The yarn which is discharged along with the used coagulant passes onto a device 45 comprising elements 46 of rounded cross-section which strip the coagulant from the strand as it is drawn thereover. The elements drain the removed coagulant into the compartment 44. The used coagulant may be further utilized to reclaim some of the heatstored therein by draining it into the compartment 16 through a tube 47, whereupon it submerges the heat exchanging coil 27 and then overflows through the apertures 23 of the wall 22.

The interior surface of the neck 36 is flared in a downward direction as it joins the main portion of the housing 14 to provide a flow path of desirable contour surrounding a spinneret for the liquid coagulant which flows upwardly through the housing during normal operation. The coagulant is supplied to the apparatus from a tube 51 connected to the housing by a bell-shaped adaptor 52. To avoid local high velocity currents of the coagulant within the compartment 15, the housing 14 has a floor portion 53 provided with a plurality of apertures 54 which cause the coagulant supplied to the apparatus to enter and flow through the chamber at a uniform velocity.

The flared surface of the neck is preferably contiguous with the lateral internal surface of the housing so as to provide a region within the housing in which coagulant may flow continuously upward from the floor portion 53 without flowing into pockets or trapped regions such as are obtained, for example, when a bell-mouthed tube protrudes downward below the ceiling of the spinning chamber. It is import-ant in operation of the present invention to avoid the presence of any edges or protrusions internally of the spinning chamber around which the coagulant has to flow so as to avoid the attachment thereto of tacky partly coagulated material. It is also important in the operation of the present invention to prevent the entrapment or catching of any particles or masses of the strand-formingmaterial because of the danger of such particles or masses working loose from the point of entrapment during normal operation and then becoming attached to the material being extruded from the spinneret and then passed along with the green strand to a strand guide whereupon the strand may break when such enlarged masses or strand portions pulled through the guide.

In starting the operation of the spinning apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, the arm 6 in the spinneret will be normally positioned in some position disposing a spinneret above the level 55 of the bath in the chamber 16. As the tubes 37 and 47 are shown broken, it will be readily understood that the normal position of the container 44 is above the region swept by the arm 6 and the tube 27 and that the arm and the tube may occupy a position above the housing 14 without interference with the container 44. As a preferred lacing procedure, the flow of the filamentforming liquid through the spinneret will be commenced before the spinneret is lowered into the bath of compartment 16. Therefore, assuming that the chamber 16 is filled with coagulant, coagulation of the material discharged from the spinneret will have commenced during movement of the spinneret from its non-operative position to the position shown in full line in Fig. 1. This means that a strand end of several inches in length has already been formed and is contiguous with the material being discharged from the spinneret as the arm swings into the position shown. Normally, the coagulated strand end, now buoyantly suspended in the coagulant within the chamber 16, will be prevented from entering the chamber 15 by the outfiowing of coagulant through the opening through which the spinneret enters the chamber 15. The flow of the coagulant into the chamber 15 has been previously started before attempting to move the sp-inneret into its operating position.

As the coagulated material is buoyant with-in the coagulant, the coagulated strand end will normally extend over the upper part of the periphery of the opening as the closure 8 swings into place and is either cut by engagement of the resilient ring 10 with the periphery of the opening or is held fast when severance does not occur. Considering now a portion of the coagulated strand which has been caught at the periphery of the opening and extends upwardly through the chamber 15 into the tube 37 and is then looped downwardly toward the face of the spinneret wherefrom filament-forrning material is now being constantly discharged, the swift current of the coagulant passing through the flared portion of the neck 36 into the tube quickly catches the loop portion and severs it close to the face of the spinneret. This, however, leaves a length of strand extending and dangling from a portion of the periphery of the opening up through the spinning chamber and perhaps into a portion of the tube 37. It is important to free this dangling piece of strand so that it may leave the spinning chamber and the tube and does not later, after the spinning apparatus has been completely laced, come loose and promptly attach itself to the fresh yarn now continuously passing from the spinneret, and thus cause the breaking of the yarn as it is drawn through equipment disposed further along the path of the yarn.

To break loose any strand portion that may be caught between the closure 8 and the opening therefor, means such as the jet device 56 illustrated in Fig. 3 may be provided for ejecting a plurality of fine jets of liquid or gas, such as air toward the surface of the closure 8 which pro trudes through the opening. The jet device 56 has a tube 57 extending through the wall 19 and upwardly to a valve 58 which may be attached for convenience of operation to the tube 47. A high pressure fluid, preferably water, air, or the coagulant solution, is supplied through a supply tube 57a connected with the tube 57. The valve is preferably a type that may be operated instantly, as by a push button, so that the pressure may he applied instantaneously to the jet device 56 to loosen a strand fragment caught sgrsogsw orslightly after the instantat Whi'ch'theaiin is thrown into-"the position shown to promptlyuemove' 'anystrand fragment and thus allow an operator-to proceed-instantly with the lacing of the'port ions" of-a yarn manufacturing syst'em related to the apparatusherein shown. Obviously other mechanical systems maybe devisedfor the'removal of yarn fragments in pla'ce'of jet device 56-of which one is hereinafter described.

Fig. 4 illustrates by an ele'vation,-partly in section, spinning apparatus having a number of the'same principles of construction and operation as the previously described embodiment. However, in theapparatus of Fig. 4, a compartment 65, analogous to' compartment 16 of Fig; 1, is 'not used for preheating the strand-forming material prior to extrusion. Furthermore," the viscose or other filament-forming solution is conducted between the hub portion66a and the'closure portion 66b of the spinneretsupporting arm 66by a simplycur-ved tube 68'inst'ead of the coiled rounder 27 of' Fig. 1. The compartment 65 is filled only temporarily duringthelacing of'the appara- The spinning chamber 70 is supplied with a liquid for hardening'the' strand-forming material extruded from the spinneret 71 from a supply duct 72; When the arm 66 is swung into 'the' position shown in dotted outline wherein-the spinneret'is disposed wellabove the surface of the liquid at 73, the hardening liquid or coagulant flows into the chamber 65 at a rate greater than can escape through a relatively small hole 75 extending through the wall 76. Consequently, the liquid level is rapidly elevated to 73 at which the liquid may overflow through apertures 77 of the wall 76 into the passageway 78 and thereafter pass into a duct 79. The chamber quickly empties by discharging through the aperture 75 after the arm 66 is swung into the position shown in full line in Fig. 4 thereby stopping any further flow of liquid from the chamber 70 into the chamber 65.

For removing a strand fragment which may be caught between the closure 66b and the opening therefor through thecommon lateral wall. 80 of the chamber 65 and 70, a slide 81 extends through a wall 82 of the chamber 70 and is supported within the bearing 83 which comprises preferably, and at least in part, a resilient material fittingv tightly around the outer periphery of the slide to provide a seal. The slide carries a blade 84 which may move into engagement with a strand fragment in the directions indicated by the double-headed arrow 85. A finger-grip 86 is mounted on the slide exteriorly of the housing defining the'compartment 70 whereby the operator may remove av strand fragment from the vicinity of the upper portion of the periphery of the opening of the wall 80 bymoving the slide lengthwise of itself to sweep the blade across the inner face of the closure.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Spinning apparatus comprising a spinning chamber, a duct extending upwardly from the interior of the chamber, an open-top chamber disposed laterally adjacent the first chamber, a wall between the two chambers having an opening therethrough connecting the interior regions of the chambers, means for controlling the passage of liquid from the open-top chamber to maintain the level thereof generally above said opening, a spinneret, means for movably supporting the spinneret, said supporting means being movable with respect to the chambers to transfer the spinneret from a position above said level to a position below said level within the spinning chamber wherein the spinneret faces into the duct, a closure fixedly associated with -the spinneret for closing the opening at the latter-named "l po sition of the spinneret, and a second duct connected {with the spinning chamber for supplying a liquid coagulant interiorly of- 'saidchambeilsaid means for controlliiig the liquid level or 'flieopen-wpehamber being operative when the closure is' remov'ed fr'ofiithe openingiand liquid coagil 1am is fiowingnherethrough intothe openao chamber from the first chamber.

2.- Spinning apparatus comprising a spinningchamber; a'duc't' extending upwardly from theinte'riorof the chant-- ber,"an open-top chamber having a lateral wall in common with the'spinni'ng chamber, the wall having an opening therethrough'connecting the interior regions of the chambers, overflow means 'for'theopen-top chamber disposed at'a'level 'generally'above'said opening for controlling'the storage of liquid to a desired level, aspinneret', means for movablyfsupportin'g the spinneret, said supporting means being movable with respect to the chambers to transfer thespinneretfromapositi'on"abovesaid' level to a position belowsaid level within 'theepinning chamber wherein the spinneret faces int'o the 'duct,a--closure fixedly associated with the spinneret' for closing the opening at the latternamed position or the spinneret, and duct connected'to' the spinning chamber for supplying a liquid for hardening the extruded material into a filamentary 'strand 'in teriorly of said chamber."

3, Spinningapparatus comprising a spinning chamber, a 'duct extending upwardly from the interior of the charitber, an open-top charnber having a lateral wall in common With'the spinning chamber, the wall having an opening there'through connecting the interior regions of thechambers, a'wall ofthe open-top chamber other than the first wall having one or more openings extending therethrough above the first-namedopening for controlling the'storage of 'liquid therein' to a desired level above said-opening, a spinneret, pivotable me'ansfor supporting the spinneret,

the pivotal axis of said means being spaced above the firstnamed opening and in substantially parallel relation to the general plane'of said opening whereby the spinneret may be positioned'above'said level and the interior region of the'open-top chamber and swung to a'position at a lower level within thespinning chamber wherein the spin neret is aligned'to discharge a c ntinuous extruded prod uct through-the duct; a closure fixedly associatedwith the spinneret'for'closing the first-named opening at. the latter-named'positiomof'the spinneret, anda duct connected 'to'the spinning chamber for supplying 'a liquid for hardening the extruded material into a filamentary strand.

4. Spinning apparatus comprising aspinning chamber, a duct extending up'wardlyfrom the interior of the chamber, the upper interiorsurface of-the chamber-extending inwardly and upwardly toward thelower mouth ofi'the' duct to define a bell-shaped entrance to the duct, an open top chamber having a'lateral wall in com'mon'with the spinning chamber, said wall having an opening there through connecting the interior regions of the chambers, a wall of the open-top chamber other than the first-named wall having one or more openings extending therethrough above the level of the first-named opening'forcontr'olling thestorage of liquid to a desired level above said or'a e'ning, a spmneret, means for movably supporting the spinneret;v

said means being relatively movable withres'pect to the chambers to transfer the spinneret from a position above said level to a position below said level within the spinning chamber wherein the spinneret faces into the duct, 21 closure fixedly associated with the spinneret for closing the first-named opening at the latter-named position of the spinneret, and a duct connected to the spinning chamber for supplying a liquid for hardening the extruded material into a filamentary strand interiorly of the said chamber, means for severing a strand fragment he'ld be tween the closure and the periphery of the first-named opening while the fragment is suspended within a liquid filling the spinning chamber, said means being movable within a region closely adjacent the inner surface of the closure, and means mounted exteriorly of the chambers for controlling the movement of the first-named means medium,

\ 5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a hollow fluid distributor mounted adjacent the common wall, the distributor having an aperture aligned for directing a stream of fluid transversely of the opening, duct means extending from the distributor through a Wall of the first chamber for supplying the fluid at high pressure within said distributor and producing said stream as the means for engaging the strand fragment and a valve for controlling the passage of the fluid through the duct means.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a movable element as said means for severing a strand fragment, means for movably supporting the element along an ambit through which the element sweeps a region within the spinning chamber immediately adjacent surfaces of the common wall and the closure along the periphery of the first-named opening, said movable means having a portion extending through a wall of the spinning chamber adapted to be manipulated exteriorly of said chamber.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 comprising a blade elongate member of uniform cross section for supporting the blade, a bearing mounted on one wall of the spin ning chamber for supporting a portion of said member interiorly of the spinning chamber and another portion exteriorly thereof, the bearing being disposed with respect to the first-named opening to provide movement of the blade within the spinning chamber in a direction substantially parallel to the general plane of said opening adjacent portions of the inner surface of the closure and the common wall which are adjacent a substantial portion of the periphery of said opening.

8. Spinning apparatus comprising a spinning chamber, a duct extending upwardly from the interior of the chamber, an open-top chamber having a lateral wall in common with the spinning chamber, the wall having an opening therethrough connecting the interior regions of the chambers, a wall of the open-top chamber other than the common wall having one or more overflow apertures therethrough for controlling storage of liquid therein to the desired level above the opening, a spinneret, a pivotable arm for supporting the spinneret, the pivot axis of the arm being disposed in upwardly spaced relation with respect to the opening and substantially parallel relation to the general plane of the opening whereby the spinneret may be positioned above said level and swung from said position to a position at a lower level within the spinning chamber with the face of the spinneret facing into the duct, the arm comprising a closure for the opening and an extension projecting interiorly of the spinning chamber, said extension supporting the spinneret in the latter-named position when the closure is positioned in, and closing, the opening, and a duct connected to the first chamber for supplying a liquid thereto.

9. Spinning apparatus comprising a spinning chamber, a duct extending upwardly from the interior of the chamber, an open-top chamber having a lateral wall in common with the first chamber, the wall having an opening therethrough connecting the interior regions of the chambers, a wall of the open-top chamber other than the first wall having an overflow passageway extending at a level above the opening for maintaining liquid in the open-top chamber at a desired level above the opening, a spinneret, a pivotable arm for supporting the spinneret, the pivotal axis of the arm being spaced above to the opening and in substantially parallel relation to the general plane of the opening whereby the spinneret may be positioned above said level and swung to a position at a lower level within the spinning chamber wherein the spinneret faces upwardly into the lower opening of the 'duct, the arm comprising a closure positioned within, 'and closing, the opening in the latter position of the spinneret, a duct connected to the spinning chamber for supplying a liquid for coagulating filament-forming material into a strand, the arm having conduit means for conducting the strand-forming liquid to the spinneret comprising a coiled heat-exchanger duct supported by the arm substantially below said level at the position of the arm corresponding to the latter-named position of the spinneret Within the spinning chamber, one end of the coiled duct being connected with the spinneret by a passageway extending through a portion of said arm, said first-named duct extending upwardly and terminating within a container disposed at a predetermined distance above the spinning chamber, and a drainage duct extending from the container into the open-top chamber.

10. Spinning apparatus comprising a spinning chamber, a duct extending upwardly from the interior of the chamber, an open-top chamber having a lateral wall in common with the spinning chamber, the wall having an opening therethrough connecting the interior regions of the chambers, a supply duct connected to the spinning chamber for conducting a liquid filament-hardening material thereinto, a wall of the open-top chamber other than the first wall having an overflow passageway disposed at a level above said opening and an aperture extending through the second wall at a level below said opening, said aperture having a liquid transfer rate substantially less than the rate of liquid transfer through said supply duct, a spinneret and pivotable means for supporting the spinneret, the pivotal axis of said supporting means being spaced above to the opening and in substantially parallel relation to the general plane of the opening whereby the spinneret may be positioned above the region of the open-top chamber that extends below said level and swung through the opening to a position at a lower level within the spinning chamber wherein the spinneret faces upwardly into the first duct, the pivotable means comprising a closure disposed within, and closing, the opening at the latter-named position of the spinneret, said overflow passageway being disposed above the spinneret in its latter-named position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 827,434 Friedrich July 31, 1906 1,641,588 Holken Sept. 6, 1927 2,536,092 Roberts Jan. 2, 1951 2,611,925 Merion et a1. Sept. 30, 1952

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