Patent GB-964312-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of mats of thermoplastic fibres
IPC: D04H3/03
Filed: 1963-03-05
Abstract: 964,312. Production of mats of synthetic organic thermoplastic fibres. COMPAGNIE DE SAINT GOBAIN. March 5, 1963 [March 5, 1962], No. 8672/63. Heading B5B. [Also in Division C1] In the production of mats of synthetic organic thermoplastic fibres by melt extruding the fibre material through holes in the wall of the bowl of a centrifuge rotating at a high speed about a vertical axis into a gaseous zone of annular cross-section surrounding the centrifuge bowl, directing on to the freshly extruded fibre streams or a stream of hot gas downwards from a ring of apertures or a continuous annular slot coaxial with the centrifuge bowl and at a higher level than the extrusion apertures in the centrifuge bowl so that the molten or plastic fibres are attenuated and carried downwards on to a moving receiving surface, in the form of a tubular mat of randomly disposed fibres and continuously deposited on the receiving surface as a mat in the form of a flat web, the gas pressure in the part of the gaseous zone surrounding the descending tubular fibre mat which is nearer to one edge of the moving surface is periodically caused to be greater than the gas pressure in the portion of the zone nearer to the other edge of the moving surface so that the tubular mat is deformed and diverted towards the edge of the moving surface above which the gas pressure is lower, and conversely in alternate periods of time the gas pressure is caused to be greater in a part of the zone opposite the first part, so that, as the result of these alternating gas pressures, the tubular fibre mat is caused to traverse across the width of the moving surface and cause a flat web of uniform thickness of a homogeneous mat of randomly disposed fibres to be uniformly deposited across substantially the whole width of the moving surface. As shown in Fig. 1, a centrifuge bowl 1 containing a known distributer basket 2 and rotated at a high speed is supplied with a viscous melt of the fibre-forming material which is extruded by centrifugal force through apertures 3 in the peripheral wall of the bowl in the form of threads which are attenuated and carried downwards in the form of a moving cylindrical mat 6 of randomly arranged fine fibres by a continuous blast of a hot gas discharged downwards from a stationary annular combustion chamber 5 through a ring of apertures 4 or through a continuous annular slot coaxial with and at a higher level than the apertures 3 in the bowl wall. The tubular or cylindrical web of fine fibres is deposited on the upper or operative horizontal run of a moving conveyer belt (shown in cross-section at 7) in the form of a continuous flat web. A supplementary and outer tubular stream or blast of gas is directed vertically downwards into the gaseous zone surrounding the centrifuge bowl 1 from a ring of apertures or a continuous annular slot 9 in a blast ring 8 surrounding the annular row of apertures or annular slot 4 and adapted to be reciprocated in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the centrifuge. When the auxiliary air blast ring 8 is displaced to the right, as shown in Fig. 1, a current of air flows through the gap 10 left between gas blast rings 8 and 5 owing to the injector action of the gas blasts from these rings, whereas the gap 10a diametrically opposite to the gap 10 is so small that practically no air can pass through it. As a result of this the tube 6 of fibres is deformed and diverted towards the left and the fibres are deposited on the left edge lane of the conveyer belt 7. When the ring 8 is moved to the opposite position, the tube 6 of fibres moves to the right edge lane of the conveyer. The fibre tube is thus caused to traverse the travelling conveyer belt so that the fibres are deposited as a mat in the form of a homogeneous flat web of uniform thickness over the width of the conveyer. The action of the reciprocating ring 8 may be increased by the provision of a cylindrical baffle fixed to the periphery of the ring 8 as shown at 16 in Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the traversing action may be effected by oscillating the blast ring 8 in a vertical plane, as shown by the arrows, so that the relative cross-sections of the gaps or passages 11 and 1 la (on opposite sides of the stationary blast ring 5) alternate. As shown in Fig. 3, the traversing action is effected by means of flat deflector plates 12, 12a adapted to oscillate about axes 13, 13a situated in a plane above the extrusion zone. The oscillations of the plates are equal in amplitude but displaced in phase so that when one plate is pointing vertically downward, so that the passage of air is at a minimum, the other deflector is in a horizontal position or, as shown, slopes upwards, in which position the passage of air is greatest. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the deflectors 14 and 14a are are permanently in the vertical position, but reciprocate out of phase parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyer belt. As shown in Fig. 6, the traversing action is effected by means of two rows of blast tubes 15 and 15a which are parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyer belt and which are arranged on either side of the main blast supply member 5 and above the threads extrusion zone. They may be supplied alternately or continuously with a gas under pressure. In the latter case they are adapted to be oscillated about their axes, as shown in Fig. 7, or may be reciprocated axially, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The traversing action may be effected by means of a cylindrical baffle 17 reciprocating in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the centrifuge bowl, as shown in Fig. 11, the supplementary blast ring in this case being omitted.