Process for melt blowing continuous lyocell fibers
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorsMengkui Luo, Vincent A. Roscelli, Senén Camarena, Amar N. Neogi, Michael J. Yancey, Paul G. Gaddis
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a method of preparing continuous lyocell fibers by melt blowing techniques, a pulp useful for making lyocell fibers and to the fibers produced by the method. In particular, the method enables high throughputs of fibers of cotton-like deniers. The fibers are readily cut into staple lengths and can be spun into yarns with excellent knitting and weaving characteristics which dye exceptionally well.
Claims32
A process for forming lyocell fibers which comprises:
- dissolving cellulose in a solvent to form a dope;
- extruding the dope through a multiplicity of spinning orifices in a melt blowing head while maintaining conditions of gas velocity, to form substantially continuous elongated latent fiber strands;
- and
- regenerating the strands to form individual lyocell fibers.
A process for forming lyocell fibers which comprises:
- selecting a pulpwood cellulose having a degree of polymerization in the range of about 150-3000;
- modifying the degree of polymerization of the cellulose into the range of 300-1000;
- dissolving the cellulose in a solvent to form a dope;
- extruding the dope through a multiplicity of orifices in a melt blowing head while maintaining conditions of gas velocity to form elongated latent fiber strands;
- and
- regenerating the latent strands to form lyocell fibers.
A process for making lyocell fibers comprising:
- selecting a pulpwood cellulose having an alpha cellulose content of less than about 90%;
- dissolving the pulpwood cellulose in a solvent to form a dope;
- extruding the dope through a multiplicity of orifices in a melt blowing head while maintaining conditions to form continuous elongated latent fiber strands;
- and
- regenerating the latent fiber strands to form lyocell fibers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.