A New or Improved Manufacture of Fibres or Filaments suitable for Making Textile Fabrics.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 15th May, 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Manufacture of Fibres or Filaments suitable for
Making Textile Fabrics.
I, ADAM MILLAR, of 45 Montrose Street, in the City of Glasgow, Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention consists in producing fibres or filaments of gelatine which has
been rendered insoluble, by treatment with gallic acid, chromic acid or compounds
of these acids, or by other suitable methods.
In carrying out the invention the gelatine is dissolved in hot water and a
solution of bi-chromate of potass or other compound is mixed with the gelatine
solution. Heat is applied to the mixture until it has become concentrated and of a
thick glutinous consistency.
The concentrated glutinous mixture is then transferred to a vessel furnished with
a series of nozzles or nipples, through which nipples the mixture is forced in the
form of fine threads. The threads are supported or received by a travelling web
or band or by a series of revolving cylinders.
The threads or filaments are taken off the travelling web or revolving cylinder
by a reeling apparatus and allowed to dry, when they are ready for use in the usual
methods of weaving, with or without doubling or twisting a number of threads or
fibres together.
Dated this 14th day of August 1894.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.
A New or Improved Manufacture of Fibres or Filaments suitable for
Making Textile Fabrics.
I, ADAM MILLAR, of 45 Montrose Street, in the City of Glasgow, Manufacturer,
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 consists in producing fibres or filaments of gelatine, which fibres
or filaments shall be rendered practically insoluble in water, by the action of one or
more of such chemical products as are well known to possess the power of rendering
gelatine insoluble in water.
The word gelatine employed in the Specification is to be understood as
including the commercial products known as glue, isinglass and gelatine, and any
other material of which gelatine, in the chemical sense of the word, forms an
essential part.
In carrying out this invention the gelatine is dissolved in hot water, and the
chemical substances such as bi-chromate of potass or other compound added to the
solution either by adding them directly, or by preference in the form of a solution.
The mixed solution is then concentrated by evaporation to a suitable degree of
[Price
"

page_text: thickness. The concentrated glutinous mixture is then transferred to a vessel
furnished with a series of nozzles or nipples, through which nipples the mixture is
forced in the form of fine threads.
Apparatus suitable for the production of the filaments is illustrated by the
accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 being sections at right angles to each other.
It consists of a cylindrical vessel A having a number of tubes B projecting from its
lower end or base, each tube being furnished with a tap or stop-cock B', and
terminating in a nozzle or nipple having a very small aperture.
The upper end of the vessel A is closed by an air-tight cover or cap C furnished
with two tubular projections with stop-cocks C, C².
The vessel A is surrounded by a cylindrical jacket D having an inlet pipe D'
and an outlet pipe D².
The series of tubes B are encompassed by another jacket in the form of a close:
cylinder E through which the tubes B pass, so that the nozzles project beyond the
under side of the cylinder. An inlet cock E¹ and an outlet cock E2 are attached to
the ends of the cylindrical jacket.
The vessel A is filled with the concentrated solution of gelatine by the cock C¹
which is then closed.
The solution is maintained in a liquid form, by a stream of hot water passing
into the jacket D by the inlet pipe D, and running off by the outlet pipe D².
This stream of water should be about 200° F. and is supplied by a hot water
cistern not shewn in the drawings.
The jacket E is also filled with hot water but at a lower temperature than the
other, say about 100° F. at which temperature the gelatine solution can be drawn
into a fine thread or filament.
A second hot water cistern (not shewn in the drawings) communicates by a pipe
with the inlet cock E, and the outlet cock E2 is adjusted so that the proper
temperature of the jacket is maintained.
The gelatine solution in the tubes is too glutinous at the temperature of 100° F.
to flow freely through the fine apertures of the nozzles without a slight pressure.
This pressure may be produced in several ways, but by preference I employ
compressed air. The compressed air is contained in a receiver or reservoir
furnished with a suitable pressure gauge and an escape valve to prevent over
pressure, and connected with an air pump operated by any convenient mechanical
arrangement.
A pipe passes from the receiver to the tubular piece C on the cover of the
vessel A. The compressed air receiver and air pump are not shewn in the drawings.
The gelatine solution is forced through the nozzles in fine threads by the action of
the compressed air and these threads may be drawn out to a much greater degree
of fineness before they are cold and hard, by means of a drum or wheel F moving
at a sufficiently quick speed and from which drum F the filaments are passed on to
an endless travelling web G moving at the same speed as the periphery of the
drum.
The filaments may be reeled off from the opposite end of the travelling web G
either singly or in a group of several filaments twisted together in the manner of
silk yarn.
The arrangements for so reeling or twisting are similar to the methods in every
day use in silk manufacture and need not be described.
The chemical products employed to render the soluble gelatine insoluble may be
applied to the gelatine in solution before it is formed into filaments, or, the filaments
may be produced from simple gelatine, and the "hardening" process effected as a
second process, after the filaments are formed.
The process of rendering the filaments insoluble may obviously be done
partly when the gelatine is in the liquid form and partly after the filaments are
formed.
The "chemical products" referred to in this Specification are those chemicals
frequently employed in various photographic processes, and include-

page_text: Common alum, chrome alum, tannic acid, gallic acid, chromic acid, tungstic acid,
and compounds of these acids, also the recently introduced material called formic-
aldehyde, to render the gelatine insoluble.
The hardness of the filaments may be modified by small quantities of glycerine or
castor oil added to the gelatine solution. Colouring matter may also be added
either in the form of fine pigments or of liquid extracts or decoctions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The manufacture of threads and filaments, applicable to various textile
purposes, from gelatine treated to render it insoluble in water, substantially as
described.
Dated this 14th day of May 1895.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.