Process and apparatus for the coating of an electrically conductive fibrous strand

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE COATING AND TREATMENT OF AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE FIBER STRAND MADE OF A MULTIPLICITY OF INDIVIDUAL FILAMENTS OF A QUASI INFINITE LENGTH, SAID FILMENTS IN SAID FIBER STRAND BEING TWISTED TOGETHER, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING THE FIBER STRAND TO A VOLTAGE SOURCE TO ACT AS A CATHODE, PASSING THE STRAND THROUGH AN ANODE-EQUIPPED WHIRL CHAMBER, SUPPLYING FLUID ELECTROLYTE TO SAID WHIRL CHAMBER FROM A STORAGE TANK CONTAINING A RESERVOIR OF SAID FLUID ELECTROLYTE, SAID WHIRL CHAMBER BEING SEPARATED FROM SAID STORAGE TANK SUCH THAT SAID WHIRL CHAMBER IS SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF THE FLUID ELECTROLYTE RESERVOIR, AND SUBJECTING THE STRAND TO AT LEAST ONE JET OF SAID FLUID ELECTROLYTE TO OPEN UP THE STRAND SUCH THAT THE FILAMENTS THROUGHOUT THE STRAND ARE UNIFORMLY TREATED EXCLUSIVELY WITH SAID ELECTROLYTE JET, SAID AT LEAST ONE JET OF FLUID ELCTROLYTE BEING SUPPLIED ANNULARLY TO THE STRAND, WHEREIN EACH JET OF ELECTROLYTE IS ARRANGED WITH A SINUSOIDAL LINE IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF THE STRAND AND ANNULARLY TO THE STRAND IN A DIRECTION COUNTER IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TWIST IN SAID STRAND.

Claim 7

An apparatus for treating a continuous fiber strand of a multiplicity of electrically conductive filaments, said apparatus comprising a storage tank for storing a reservoir of fluid electrolyte, a whirl chamber of an electrically nonconductive material, said chamber having a passage and an annular space defined by an outer and an inner wall means, an anode within said space, a fluid electrolyte feed means terminating in said space, said chamber being separated from said storage tank such that said passage is substantially free of the fluid electrolyte reservoir in said storage tank, means for passing an electrically conductive strand through said passage, means for supplying said fluid electrolyte from said storage tank to said fluid electrolyte feed means, and nozzle means for directing at least one jet of electrolyte onto said strand, said nozzle means being arranged so that the strand is opened up by the electrolyte to alLow exclusive treatment of the filaments within said strand by said jet of electrolyte, wherein said nozzle means includes a plurality of individual nozzles, each of said individual nozzles extending in a sinusoidal line in the longitudinal direction and annularly with respect to the strand.

Claim 8

An apparatus for treating a continuous fiber strand of a multiplicity of electrically conductive filaments, said apparatus comprising a storage tank for storing a reservoir of fluid electrolyte, a whirl chamber of an electrically nonconductive material, said chamber having a passage and an annular space defined by an outer and an inner wall means, an anode within said space, a fluid electrolyte feed means terminating in said space, said chamber being separated from said storage tank such that said passage is substantially free of the fluid electrolyte reservoir in said storage tank, means for passing an electrically conductive strand through said passage, means for supplying said fluid electrolyte from said storage tank to said fluid electrolyte feed means, and nozzle means for directing at least one jet of electrolyte onto said strand, said nozzle means being arranged so that the strand is opened up by the electrolyte to alLow exclusive treatment of the filaments within said strand by said jet of electrolyte, wherein said nozzle means includes a plurality of individual nozzles, each of said individual nozzles extending in a sinusoidal line in the longitudinal direction and annularly with respect to the strand.