Improved Apparatus for the Production of Artificial Textile Threads or Fibres.
Year: 1899

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by CARL ARVID GRANQUIST, of Bofors, in the King-
dom of Sweden, Engineer.]
Improved Apparatus for the Production of Artificial Textile Threads
or Fibres.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London. Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention--as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent-relates
to a new and improved apparatus for spinning and twisting artificial fibres, such
as the different kinds of artificial silk.
As material for the spinning, he uses one of the well-known solutions or
mixtures employed for the fabrication of artificial fibres, such as solutions of
nitrocellulose, cellulose, or glue, in solvents suitable for the purpose.
The prepared and filtered solution is converted into threads by the following
means. A tube leading from a suitable press communicates with two hollow
cones set horizontally and in line with each other. Each cone is closed at its
outer end, and its central passage terminates in a lateral opening, through which
it is intended to discharge the solution. These cones constitute fixed plugs, and
upon each is mounted a nozzle holder, which carries a handle for rocking it into
the desired positions. The nozzle holder, when depressed, is in communication
with the conical plug, and, when raised, communication with the plug is cut off.
The nozzles carry, at their extremity, a glass die pierced with fine holes, through
which the solution under pressure is discharged in the form of fine fibres. These
dies are preferably made by the method described in my English Patent No. 9431
of 1897.
.
The nozzle holders are so constructed that they will stand at an oblique
position to the axis of the cone plugs to which they are fitted, in order that the
dies may approach each other, and discharge streams of fibre into a glass vessel
placed to receive them.
This vessel is carried by or formed in one with, a conducting tube, the free
end of which is open.
The vessel and its conducting tube are charged with a liquid suitable for the
extraction of the solvent from the material used for producing the fibres.
During the passage of the threads through the tube, the main part of the
solvent is thus extracted, and the viscous mass of fibres is converted from a
plastic, to an almost solid state, in which state it is easily handled. The thread,

page_text: as it leaves the tube, is drawn out by a pair of nipping rolls, in order to make it
finer and increase its brilliancy, and to squeeze out the adherent liquid.
It is then led up through two fixed guides, between which a horizontal roller
is mounted. This roller serves as a rotating bed for supporting the thread,
and imparting a slight twist thereto, sufficient to prevent the fibres composing
the thread from separating during the subsequent operations of denitration or
hardening of the thread, spooling, final twisting, etc.
The thread is then drawn off from the apparatus, and received onto a removable
rotating reel.
Dated this 28th day of November 1800.
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for the Production of Artificial Textile Threads
or Fibres.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, relates
to a new and improved apparatus for spinning and twisting artificial fibres, such
as the different kinds of artificial silk.
As material for the spinning, he uses
one of the well-known solutions or
mixtures employed for the fabrication of artificial fibres, such as solutions of
nitrocellulose, cellulose, or glue, in solvents suitable for the purpose.
The prepared and filtered solution is converted into threads by the apparatus
shown in the accompanying drawings,-where
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus complete, and
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts which serve to condense the strands into a
single thread.
Fig. 3 is a side view, on an enlarged scale, of the nozzles and their fittings,
used to form the strands which are to be condensed into a single thread; and
Fig. 4 is a front view of the same, showing a pair of nozzles one of which is
in partial section, to illustrate the course of the solution through the apparatus
to form the strands.
a is a tube, supplied with the liquid to be converted into strands of artificial
silk. This tube connects with a transverse pipe constituting two hollow cones b, b,
set horizontally, and in line with each other.
Each cone is closed at its outer end, and its central passage terminates in a
lateral opening e, through which it is intended to discharge the solution. These
cones constitute fixed plugs, upon which are respectively mounted nozzle
holders, dd, furnished with handles for working the same into the desired
position on the plugs, with which the said nozzle holders form taps.
Each nozzle holder, when depressed, is in communication with its conical plug,
and the tap is open, and, when raised, communication with the plug is cut off,
and the tap closed. The nozzles carry, at their extremity, a glass die, pierced
with fine holes, through which the solution under pressure is discharged in the
form of fine strands or fibres. These dies are preferably made by the method
described in my English Patent No. 9431 of 1897.

page_text: The nozzle holders, as best shown in the front view, Fig. 4, are so constructed
that they will stand at an oblique position to the axis of the cone plugs to which
they are fitted, in order that the dies may approach each other, and discharge
streams of fibre into a glass vessel placed to receive them.
This vessel, marked e, is carried by, or formed in one with, a conducting tube e',
which inclines slightly upwards towards its free end, which is open for the dis-
charge of the strands.
The vessel and its conducting tube are charged with a liquid suitable for the
extraction of the solvent from the material used for producing the strands or
fibres.
During the passage of the threads through the tube el, the main part of the
solvent is extracted, and the viscous mass of fibres is converted from a plastic to
an almost solid state, in which state it is easily handled.
The strands, as they leave the tube, are drawn out by a pair of nipping rolls, f,
in order to reduce the diameter of the combining strands, squeeze out the adherent
liquid, and increase the brilliancy of the thread.
The thread is then led onto a cylindrical roller g, mounted between two fixed
guides h¹, which respectively lead the thread onto and off the periphery of
the roller. This roller serves as a rotating bed for supporting the thread, while
imparting a slight twist thereto, sufficient to prevent the fibres composing the
thread from separating during the subsequent operations of denitration or harden-
ing of the thread, spooling, final twisting, etc.
The thread thus far constituted is then drawn off from the apparatus, and
received onto a removable rotating reel i, mounted on the framework of the table
which supports the apparatus above described, the rotations of which reel may
he registered by any suitable counting apparatus (j), as indicated in Fig. 1.
It may be here remarked that attempts have heretofore been made to subject
strands or fibres to friction by passing them through tubes or over revolving
cones, but with a result not comparable to the means above set forth.
By reference to the plan view. Fig. 2, it will be seen that the artificial textile
fibres or strands are carried over a cylindrical surface rotating in a plane parallel
to the direction in which the strands are drawn out.
The friction roller used thus serves for the purpose of carrying and stretching
the strands, as well as for agglomerating the different fibres by friction twisting.
In starting the machine, the thread is drawn straight from the guide h. as
shown by the dotied line 1, and when the spinning has been fairly started, it is
placed in the guide . The effect is, that the thread, while entering upon the
roller in a direction parallel to its own rotation. is drawn off at a slight angle,
thereby receiving a gradual false twist, serving for the combining of the separate
strands or fibres.
It is desirable that the friction surface should have a speed of rotation equal
to the delivery of the thread from the squeezing rollers, in order that the thread
should not be unduly stretched after it has passed from a plastic into a solid
state.
These relative speeds are sufficiently indicated by the driving gear illustrated
in Fig. 1.
In some cases it may be desirable to add to the ends of the nozzles d, d¹, the
tubular extension, as shown at Figs. 5, which extensions are cut up, in part of
their length. to half cylinders, and serve as carriers for the fibres until they
have united in one thread.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:
1. The improved apparatus for the manufacture of artificial fibres as herein
described and shewn in the drawings.

page_text: 2. The arrangement, as herein described, whereby the nozzle holders will serve
as taps for shutting off the discharge of the liquid solution.
3. The twisting arrangement as herein described for the agglommerating of
the fibres forming the artificial thread.
01
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.