US2293982A - Manufacture of rayon - Google Patents

Description

A. L JACKSON I 2,293,982

MANUFACTURE OF RAYON Filed April 19, 1940 atented Aug. 25, 1942 Arthur L. Jackson, West Asheyille, N. 0., assignor to American Enka Corporation, Erika, N. 0., a corporation of Delaware Application April 19, 1940, Serial No. 330,596

6 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of continuous filaments, yarns, threads and the like,

and more particularly to apparatus for heating and drying succeeding portions of such materials.

While it will be readily recognized that-this invention is applicable to and of considerable importance in the various arts and industries in which the heat treatment of succeeding portions of a continuous material is a problem, regardits manufacture may take a number of forms and may be supported from either one or both ends; It has been found, however, that a cantilever support is quite desirable in that, incident to its use, threading up is facilitated and attendance of the machine by the operator is rendered more convenient. The continuous spinning development as a whole has metwith outstanding success and, as a result of the adoption of the new less of whether such materials be in strip, band 10 system, improved materials are produci-ble while or thread form; it is of even greater importance operating costs have been reduced. in the rayon industry where it may be employed It will be recognized that it is quite important, as a very valuable adjunct to the various liquid f e dvantages of the continuous sp treatment operations to which rayon threads are processes are to be exploited to the fullest exsubjected in the course of their manufacture. l5 tent, a t e enti e t eatme t of t e re d be It has long been customary to subject artificial accomplished in a continuous manner without infilaments to a drying operation after the-completermediate packaging for any steps, even for the tion or intermediate the various liquid treatments final step o y ng. The reason for this is that incident to their manufacture. However, the rev r ion to the old treatin syst m. ven i prior practice employed in performing this oper- 2 pa Will result in a return to the ve y disadation usually involved the extrusion and coag'ulatages of such systems wh c Co t Sp tion of the cellulosic material followed by the ning is designed to avoid. ,Thus, it is necessary winding of the same into a yarn package or cake. t a drie which will dry succeeding Portions The package was then treated with various liqof a continuous filament upon completion of the uids and finally subjected to an atmosphere suit- Various prior p fo a Component P Of able for effecting the drying of the component ch o ous sp nni System15 yam thereof. As a result of this practice, early Several such driers have been develop and developments with respect to the drying of rayon hey more or less paralle in f d Operation threads were largely concerned with either the the -S o thread-advancing devices preparation of apparatus for the production of used in conjunction with liquid treatment. Howsuitable drying atmospheres for the treatment of ever, driers Of this r cter, as known today, the thread package or th preparation ,of th are characterized by one or more disadvantages. package itself in such a way that the thread Either the heating means is satisfactory insofar composing the game might b tr ted nd dried as the treatment of the thread is concerned while as efiiciently and as uniformly as possible. the ans fo appl i t h at t t th ad- In recent years, the demands of the various r ge, hread-advancing device is cumbersome arts in which rayon threads are used have beandiheflicieht; 1' e e heat Supplying means come progressively more severe and the new criis Satisfactory, but the thread contacti ea s teria as to strength and uniformity are diflicult is modified in such a way as to interfere with of attainment by the employment of the older Other P s o e Sp apparatilstype methods and apparatus To meet these (13- This invention contemplates overcoming 8.11 Of Ina-Dds, extensive changes have been made in the the difiiculties outlined above, and involves the processes and apparatus for the manufacture of drying of rayon or other thread quickly, efiicientrayon, so that'it is now possible for a continuous y and at fo y o t ol e t p a s by yarn to be passed in succession, without inter-' e mpl y t of app wh h is h per to ruption or intermediate collection, from a spinconstruct, easier to control and superior in perneret to a number of thread-storage, thread-'adformance to devices heretofore known and used vancing devices in association with each of which for the same or similar purposes. the thread is subjected to one or more treat- It is an object of this invention to provide a ments which may be in the form ofliquid-baths, drier in which a thread contacting member may liquid sprays or drying operations, and finally to be immediately supported at one end only therea collecting device on which it is wound in a of and a heating fluid may be supplied team inform suitable for shipment to the consumer. terior cavity of the contacting member through The thread-storage, thread-advancing devices the other end thereof. By t s arrangement, the on which rayon is treated during the course of manyedvantages of he c ntilever type reel may be retained while the use of complicated and inefiicient packing glands surrounding the feed tubes and drain tubes of driers known to the prior art may be avoided.

According to this invention, the heating fluid supplied to the thread contacting member may be furnished and withdrawn at any rate deemed desirable, while the contacting member itself is light, thin and strong for eflicient heat exchange and easy operation.

This invention further contemplates the provision of a thread contacting member overv which thread may be drawn to be dried in heat exchange relationship therewith. While the thread contacting member may be either driven or freely rotatable, the means for supplying and withdrawing heating fluid therefrom are stationary, and consequently do not have to be provided with the elaborate leak-preventing means which are normally associated with a driven shaft around which, or along which, fluids are caused to pass.

While it will be recognized that this invention has wide applicability to all types of drying operations wherein a continuous filament, thread or the like is passed across a heating member, the present development is of particular value in connection with and as an adjunct to the continuous spinning methods and apparatus constituting the subject-matter of Adrian J. L. Moritz et al. application, Serial Number 322,386, filed March 5, 1940.-

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with advancing device; and a V Figure 3 is a view taken along the line 33 of Figure 2.

The thread-storage, thread-advancing device shown in Figure 1 is of cantilever construction device in a direction toward the unobstructed ends of the rollers. Because of the manner in which the timev d is fed, it passes across any given thread-storage, thread-advancing device in a generally helical path, contacting each roller a plurality of times. The shafts are mounted for relative adjustment for the purpose of permitting the control of the feed on the thread and the spacing of the helices. This may be accomplished by the pivotal adjustment of the mounting 22 in which shaft 2| is journaled. For this reason it is customary to drive only one of the rollers constituting the device, the other roller being driven by the thread passing therearound. Thus, roller I5 is provided with bevel gear 20 which meshes with a gear 23 keyed to shaft 24 which is driven and supported in a manner not shown. The motion imparted to roller IE will, through thread in, drive roller l6 which is journaled for free rotation in bracket 22.

In order to heat. and therefore dry the thread passing across roller IS a pipe 25 is provided, the nozzle 26 of which discharges in the hollow interior cavity defined by the cylindrical walls of roller l5 and piece [1. This pipe is stationary and may be attached in any feasible manner to a' suitable portion of the supporting structure. It is important that the pipe 25 be firmly held so that it may maintain its axial position in roller I5 without striking against either shaft l8 or the annular baiile 21 which extends radially inwardly from the cylindrical walls of roller l5 at the unsupported end thereof to function as a dam. Annular baffle 21 is provided with a flared lip 28 which leads into an arcuate trough 29 aflixed to the channel bar [3. A drain pipe 30, supported in any suitable manner from the machine frame, leads from the lowest point of trough- 29.

When it is desired to dry thread [0 on the thread-storage, thread-advancing device shown in the annexed drawing, shaft 24 is driven so that, through gears 23 and 20, shaft I8 and roller IE will be caused to rotate. Thread I0 is then passed around rollers 15 and IS in a generally helical and may constitute one of a series'of such devices on which thread I0 is treated in its passage from a spinneret to a collecting device. To support the various thread-storage, thread-advancing devices constituting the machine, a frame I I is provided, a portion of which is shown in Figure 1.

' Extending upwardly from a projection I2 of frame II is a channel bar l3 fastened at its upper end to a transverse piece I4.

Channel bar l-3 is the supporting member for hollow roller l5 and roller l6 which together constitute the thread-storage, thread-advancing device. Roller l5 is provided with an end piece I1 which seals one end thereof and to which a shaft 18 is keyed. Shaft l8 passes through and is Journaled in bracket l9, aflixed to channel bar II. An end of shaft [8 extends beyond bracket i9 and has fixed thereto a bevel gear 20.

Roller 16 is supported in a manner similar to roller l5,.shaft 2| being keyed to roller l5 and extending through channel bar l3 to a bracket 22 mounted upon a rotatable shaft wherein it is suitably Journaled.

It will be noted that rollers l5 and I6 have their axes, shafts l8 and 2| respectivehr, in converging relationship. Thread ID, when passed over the rollers as shown in Figure 1, will be fed axially of the thread-storage, thread-advancing path. Said thread is then fed toward the unsupported end of the device where it is drawn off and either collected or passed to another treating device. A heating fluid such as hot water is passed through pipe 25 and ejected into the hollow interior of roller l5 through nozzle 26. The fluid will collect in the bottom of the roller as shown in Figure 2 until the level is raised to such an extent that an overflow of fluid will occur over annular bafile 21, across lip 28 and into trough 29 from which it will drain by gravity through drain 20. The liquid issuing from drain 30 may be either reheated and recirculated through pipe 25 or else permitted to waste.

Because of the fact that roller I5 is rotating during the time that the heating liquid is passed therein through pipe 25 and flows therefrom over baflle 21, a thin film of hot liquid will adhere to the interior surface of the cylinder to assist in the maintenance of the roller at the temperature of the heating fluid. In view of the fact that roller I5 is supported entirely from the free or unobstructed. end by virtue of the keyed connection between shaft I8 and end piece H, the walls of the cylinder themselves may be quite thin. This, of course favors heat exchange through such walls so that the amount of heat imparted to the thread l0 in its passage across the roller l5 can be accurately controlled by controlling the temperature of the water entering through pipe 25 and nozzle 26. Thaamount of water trapped shown in Figure 2 so that a good volume of water will be available to maintain a given temperature. It will be recogniz ad that the heating means disclosed is equally applicable with respect to a freely rotating roller such as roller Hi. In this instance, it may be desirable to have baffle 21 a little lower so that the amount of trapped liquid and consequently the weight of the roller as a Whole may be less. In the event a freely rotatable roller is to be heated, the advantage in supporting the roller from its unobstructed end in the manner disclosed is emphasized since the use of light materials in such a case is quite desirable. It is, of course, to be understood that the rollers l5 and I6 may, if desired, be conically shaped. When such conical rollers are employed th delivery of the fluid into the roller to be heated, and the drainage of the used liquid therefrom, may be accomplished in the same manner as described and illustrated in connection with the cylindrical rollers.

In some instances, both the driven and freely rotatable rollers may be heated and, in addition to heating only the thread passing across the thread-storage, thread-advancing device, liquids sprayed upon the threads may likewise be raised in temperature. 3

The above-description of a preferred embodiment of this invention is but for purposes of illustration and it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited beyond the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

, 1. Thread drying apparatus comprising at least two rollers of cantilever construction at least one of which is hollow, said rollers having their supported ends wholly closed and exteriorly unobstructed, the rollers being mounted so that their axes are in non-parellel relationship to advance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, means for introducing a heating liquid into the interior of the hollow roller through the ,unsupported end thereof and an outlet for said liquid.

2. Thread drying apparatus comprising at least two rollers of cantilever construction, at least one of which is hollow, each roller having one end wholly exteriorly unobstructed and supporting a predetermined amount of the liquid within the roller and an outlet for excess liquid.

4. Thread drying apparatus comprising at least two rollers of cantilever construction at least one of which is hollow, each roller having one end wholly closed and exteriorly unobstructed and supporting means attached to, and rotatable with, that end, the supporting means of said hollow roller extending axially therethrough and attached only at the end of the roller remote from the point of entrance of said support, the rollers being mounted so that their axes are in nonparallel relationship toadvance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, means for supplying a heating liquid to the inner surface of the hollow roller through the unsupported end thereof, an annular baffle extending radially inwardly at the open end of said roller for retaining a predetermined amount of the liquid therein, and an outlet for liquid in excess of that retained by said baffle.

5. Thread drying apparatus comprising at least two rollers of cantilever construction, at least one of which is hollow, eachroller having one end wholly closed and exteriorly unobstructed and supporting means attached to, and rotatable with, that end, the rollers being mounted so that their axes are in non-parallel relationship to advance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, an annular baffle extending radially inwardly at the open end of the hollow roller,

- a stationary conduit extending into and adapted ing means attached to, and rotatable with, that end, the rollers being mounted so that their axes .are in non-parallel relationship to advance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, means forsupplying a heating liquid to. the interior of the hollow roller through the unsupported end thereof and an outlet for said liquid.

- 3. Thread drying apparatus comprising at least two rollers of cantilever construction, at least one or which is hollow, each roller having one end wholly closed and exteriorly unobstructed and supporting means attached to, and rotatable with, that end, the rollersbeing mounted so that their axes are in non-parallel relationship to advance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, means for supplying a heating liquid to the interior of the hollow roller through the unsupported end thereof, means for retainto discharge within the hollow interior and contact the inner surface of said roller, means for supplying heating liquid to said conduit, and stationary means disposed adjacent the baflie for receiving liquid issuing thereover.

6. Thread drying apparatus comprising two rollers of cantilever construction at least one of which is hollow and at least one of which is power driven, each roller having one end wholly closed and exteriorly unobstructed and supporting means attached to, and-rotatable with, that end, the rollers being mounted so that their axes are in non-parallel relationship to advance the thread laterally thereof in a generally helical path, the other end of the hollow roller being unsupported and substantially open and having an annular baflle associatedtherewith, said baflle extending radially inwardly from the cylindrical wall, said supporting means comprising a shaft extending axially through said hollow roller and attached to the closed end only, means for driving said shaft, a stationary conduit extending into the interior of the hollow roller, a nozzle on said conduit adapted to discharge withinssaid hollow interior, means for supplying a hot liquid to said conduit for ejection within said. roller, and means defining an annular trough adjacent the open end of the roller and radially disposed therebelow, said trough being attached to a stationary support, whereby a cantilever threadstorage, thread-advancing device havin heating means in at least one of the rollers thereof may be provided without interference with the unobstructed end and without the necessity for'leakpreventing means associated withmovable parts.

ARTHUR L. JACKSON.

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