US2486903A - Drying of artificial fibers, filaments, and the like - Google Patents

Description

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ITED STATES` PAT DRYING F ARTIFICIAL FIBERS, FILA- y MENTS, AND THE LIKE Robert L. Wormell, Coventry, England, assignor to Courtaulds Limited, London, England, a British company Nr ori-*ice I Application December 2, 1948, Serial No. 63,096 In Great Britain December 12, 1947 Claims. (Cl. 34-23) 1 2 This invention relates to the drawing of artlbelts lying side by side may be mounted on comdclal filaments, libres and like lamentary mamon driving rollers geared to the drive for the terials, hereinafter referred to generally as libres. woven wire belt conveyor so that all the conveyor In the manufacture of continuous or disconbelts move at the same speed. The open support tlnuous artificial threads, it is known to collect to- 5 may be arranged a short distance below the woven gether bres extruded from a large number of wire belt conveyor in order to assist in transferjets into a tow of parallel fibres, to treat the tow ring the tow from one conveyor to the other. A with suitable liquids and finally to dry it. The transverse rod of glass or other material below the denier of such tows is usually of the order of 10,- pair of side-by-side belts is preferably provided 000 to 200,000. It is known to dry the wet tow by l0 as a guide for the tow as it is withdrawn substanfeeding it in convolutions on to a pervious or pertially vertically downwards between the belts and forated continuous travelling belt which is moved then led to the collecting device. slowly through one or more drying chambers, the The present invention may be applied to the dried tow being finally pulled off the belt and drying of tows of all kinds of artificial libres wound into bundles such as crossballs. During l5 such as viscose rayon threads and casein libres, the Withdrawal of the tow from the belt there is a in continuous or discontinuous lengths. The intendency, particularly with heavy tows, for the vention is particularly useful for drying heavy tow to become entangled so that a tangled mass tows for example of the order of 50,000 to 200,- builds up which impedes4 and eventually stops 000 denier.

the continuous withdrawal of the tow. In addi- The invention also includes apparatus for drytion, the desired parallel relationship of the libres ing a continuous tow of artificial fibres comprismay be disturbed leading to the production of A ing in combination at least one drying chamber, neps when the tow is subsequently drawn out into a travelling support for conveying the tow sliver form. through the said drying chamber and having'an The object of this invention is to reduce the opening through which the tow can pass downtendency of the libres in the tow to become entanwardly, a guide situated beneath the support, gled when withdrawn from the'mass of convoluand draw-off mechanism for withdrawing the tions. tow at the end of the drying operation through The present invention comprises a process for said opening in said support and into contact with drying a continuous tow of artificial fibres by said guide. feeding wet tow in convolutions on to a travelvA preferred form of apparatus according to the ling support, conveying the mass of convolutions invention comprises in combination at least one of the tow whilst on the support through one or drying chamber, a travelling y support for conmore drying chambers, and passing the dry tow veying the tow through the said drying chamber, at a rate substantially equal to the rate of feed to a second travelling support arranged at the end a collecting device wherein the dried tow is withof the first travelling support for receiving the drawn from the underside of the mass of convodried tow and having an opening through which lutions substantially vertically downwards from the tow can pass downwardly, a guide situated bethe underside of the mass of convolutions whilst neath said second support, and draw-off mechathe mass is supported and being conveyed. nism for withdrawing the dried tow through said The tow is preferably withdrawn substantially opening in said second support and into contact vertically downwards from a conveyor consisting with said guide. The second travelling support of two endless parallel moving belts lying side by preferably comprises two endless conveyor belts side with a gap between them, the tow being laid lying side by side with a gap between them, across the two belts so that as itis withdrawn it I through which gap the 120W may be Withdrawn is being taken from each of the belts alternately. substantially vertically downwards.

Such a, conveyor may constitute the sole con- The present invention is illustrated by way of veyor in the drying chamber, but preferably the examples` in the accompanying diagrammatic convolutions of wet tow are carried through the drawings in which, drying chamber on a conveyorv of normal con- Figure 1 is a side view of one form of apparatus struction, such as a woven wire belt, and then, in which the tow is transferred from a drying belt when dry, are passed on to a moving open supto a second travelling support from which the tow port from which they are withdrawn substantialis withdrawn.

ly vertically downwards according to the inven- Figure 2 is a view, in perspective, of one end tion. ln such apparatus two endless conveyor 55 of the drying belt and the open support of the apparatus of Figure 1 with the drying chamber removed, and

Figure 3 is a side view of a further form of apparatus in which the drying belt serves also as the open support from which the tow is withdrawn.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a tow I is laid in convolutions 2 on a travelling belt 3 which carries the convolutions of tow through a drying chamber 4. The dried tow is then transferred from the belt 3 to a second conveyor formed by two parallel moving belts 5 and 6, both supported and driven by rollers 1 and 8, with a gap 9 between the belts. As shown, the belts 5 and 6 are slightly lower than the belt 3 in order to assist in the transfer of the dry tow from belt 3 to belts 5 and 6. After the convolutions 2 of tow have been carried forward by belts 5 and 6 for a distance at least suflicient to cool the tow, the end of the moving tow is withdrawn substantially vertically downwards through the gap 9, round the transverse rod ID and then to a crossball collecting device Il. The belt 3 is preferably a woven wire belt such as is normally employed for drying tow. When using two belts 5 and 6 as described, the tow is withdrawn from each of the belts alternately so that the direction in which the tow is pulled on the belts is continually changing.

The driving rollers 1 and 6 are preferably geared to the drive for the belt 3 so that all the belts 3, 5 and 6 are moved at the same speed.

In the apparatus shown in Figure 3 a single conveyor is used, the apparatus otherwise being the same as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and like reference numerals are included to show the corresponding parts. As shown in Figure 3 the tow I is fed in convolutions 2 on to a conveyor 3 which consists of two parallel belts preferably constructed in the same manner as the belts 5 and 6 of Figure 2; in this case therefore the tow is withdrawn substantially vertically downwards through the opening in the support 3', round the guide rod I0 and thence to the collecting device l l.

What I claim is:

1. In a process for drying a continuous tow of artificial bres by feeding wet tow in convolutions on to a travelling support, conveying the convolutions of tow whilst on the support through at least one drying chamber and passing the dry tow at a rate substantially equal to the rate of veyor belts lying side by side whilst the mass is supported and being conveyed on said belts.

2. Apparatus for drying a continuous tow of artificial fibres comprising in combination, at least one drying chamber, a travelling support lor conveying the tow through the said drying chamber and having an opening through which the tow can pass downwardly, a guide situated beneath the support, and draw-off mechanism for withdrawing the tow at the end of thedrying operation through said opening in said support and into contact with said guide.

3. Apparatus for drying a continuous tow of artificial fibres comprising in combination at least one drying chamber, a travelling support for conveyingthe tow through the said drying chamber, a second travelling support arranged at the end of the first travelling support for receiving the dried tow and having an opening through which the tow can pass downwardly, a guide situated beneath said second support, and draw-off mechanism for withdrawing the dried tow through said opening in said second support and into contact with said guide.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the second travelling support comprises two endless conveyor belts lying side by side with a gap between them, through which gap the tow may be withdrawn substantially vertically downwards.

5. In a process for drying a continuous tow of artificial fibres by feeding wet tow in convolutions on to a travelling support, conveying the convolu tions of wet tow through a drying chamber on a travelling support and passing the dry tow at a rate substantially equal to the rate of feed to a collecting device and the steps of passing the tow when dry on to a second moving support having an opening and withdrawing the dried tow substantially vertically downward through said opening from the underside of the mass of convolutions whilst the mass is supported and being conveyed.

R. L. WORMELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,133,424 Buckwalter Oct. 18, 1938 2,333,278 Truesdail Nov. 2, 1943 2,336,019 Kline et al Dec. 7, 1943 2,379,824 Mummery July 3, 1945

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