Method of producing staple fiber from polymers and copolymers of acrylonitrile

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A CRIMPED, SYNTHETIC FIBER FROM A SOLUBLE ACRYLONITRILE, POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT CONTAINING IN THE MOLECULES THEREOF AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 85% BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ACRYLONITRILE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY EXTRUDING THE SAID PRODUCT IN THE FORM OF A FIBER FROM A WATER-COAGULABLE SOLUTION THEREOF IN A CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE SALT WHICH YIELDS HIGHLY HYDRATED IONS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION; IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXTRUSION CONTACTING THE CONTINUOUSLY MOVING, EXTRUDED CONTACTING THE CONTINUOUSLY MOVPRISING WATER, SAID COAGYLANT BEING AT A TEMPERATURE NOT EXCEEDING +10* C., THEREBY TO PRECIPITATE THE SAID PRODUCT FROM THE SAID SOLUTION AS A STRETCHABLE, GELLED FIBER; CONTINUOUSLY STRETCHING THE SAID GELLED FIBER AT LEAST ABOUT 100% IN THE PRESENCE OF MOISTURE AND AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 70* C. TO ABOUT 110* C,; CUTTING THE CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF STRETCHED, SHRINKABLE, AQUAGEL FIBER INTO DISCONTINUOUS LENGTHS WHILE THE SAID FIBER CONTAINS, BY WEIGHT, FROM ABOUT 13% TO ABOUT 75% OF WATER AND CORRESPONDINGLY FROM ABOUT 87% TO ABOUT 25% OF THE AFOREMENTIONED POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT; AND DRYING THE DISCONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF THE CUT FIBER IN A FULLY RELAXED STATE THEREBY TO OBTAIN A CRIMPED FIBER OF THE SAID POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A CRIMPED, SYNTHETIC FIBER FROM A SOLUBLE ACRYLONITRILE, POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT CONTAINING IN THE MOLECULES THEREOF AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 85% BY WEIGHT OF COMBINED ACRYLONITRILE, SAID METHOD COMPRISING CONTINUOUSLY EXTRUDING THE SAID PRODUCT IN THE FORM OF A FIBER FROM A WATER-COAGULABLE SOLUTION THEREOF IN A CONCENTRATED AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A WATER-SOLUBLE SALT WHICH YIELDS HIGHLY HYDRATED IONS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION; IMMEDIATELY AFTER EXTRUSION CONTACTING THE CONTINUOUSLY MOVING, EXTRUDED CONTACTING THE CONTINUOUSLY MOVPRISING WATER, SAID COAGYLANT BEING AT A TEMPERATURE NOT EXCEEDING +10* C., THEREBY TO PRECIPITATE THE SAID PRODUCT FROM THE SAID SOLUTION AS A STRETCHABLE, GELLED FIBER; CONTINUOUSLY STRETCHING THE SAID GELLED FIBER AT LEAST ABOUT 100% IN THE PRESENCE OF MOISTURE AND AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 70* C. TO ABOUT 110* C,; CUTTING THE CONTINUOUS LENGTH OF STRETCHED, SHRINKABLE, AQUAGEL FIBER INTO DISCONTINUOUS LENGTHS WHILE THE SAID FIBER CONTAINS, BY WEIGHT, FROM ABOUT 13% TO ABOUT 75% OF WATER AND CORRESPONDINGLY FROM ABOUT 87% TO ABOUT 25% OF THE AFOREMENTIONED POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT; AND DRYING THE DISCONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF THE CUT FIBER IN A FULLY RELAXED STATE THEREBY TO OBTAIN A CRIMPED FIBER OF THE SAID POLYMERIZATION PRODUCT.