Hills, Inc.

The Boeing Company

Hill, Inc.

Jeff S Haggard

Arnold E Wilkie

Thomas Karl Tsotsis

James E Brang

Bryan Norcott

Richard M Berger

Brian Johnston

Mark R Miller

Tony Owen

John Quinlivan

Jerry Taylor

Ted Mire

Brent Soucier

Kevin Moschetti

Ruey Chern

The present invention relates to a continuous, multicellular, hollow carbon fiber wherein the fiber structure includes a substantially hollow fiber and multiple internal walls defining multiple integral internal hollow fibers such that the fiber structure comprises a honeycomb-like cross section.

Continuous, hollow polymer precursors and carbon fibers produced therefrom

An apparatus for producing polymeric nanofibers utilizes a meltblown spinneret die having spin holes formed by grooves in plate(s) surface(s) of plate(s) where polymer exits at the plate(s) edge(s). The grooves are smaller than 0.005&#x2033; wide&#xd7;0.004&#x2033; deep and have an L/D at least as large as 20:1. Flow rates of polymer through the apparatus are very low, on the order of 0.01 ghm or less. A meltblown fabric having fibers mostly less than 0.5 microns in diameter is produced.

Method and apparatus for production of meltblown nanofibers

Process of making a continuous, multicellular, hollow carbon fiber

A nonwoven web product including ultra-fine fibers is formed utilizing a spunbond apparatus that forms multicomponent fibers by delivering first and second polymer components in a molten state from a spin pack to a spinneret, extruding multicomponent fibers including the first and second polymer components from the spinneret, attenuating the mulicomponent fibers in an aspirator, laying down the multicomponent fibers on an elongated forming surface disposed downstream from the aspirator to form a nonwoven web, and bonding portions of at least some of the fibers in the nonwoven web together to form a bonded, nonwoven web product. The multicomponent fibers can include separable segments such as islands-in-the-sea fibers, where certain separated segments become the ultra-fine fibers in the web product. In addition, carbon tubular fibers can be formed by extruding island-in-the-sea fibers including polyacrylonitrile or pitch sheath segments in the fibers, separating the segments of the fiber, and converting the polyacrylonitrile of pitch to carbon by a carbonization process.

Methods of forming ultra-fine fibers and non-woven webs

A temperature control system for use in a fiber extrusion process includes a number of metering pump assemblies including inlets to receive at least two molten polymer streams from a supply source that is connectable to the system. A pump block disposed proximate the metering pump assemblies includes a plurality of flow paths extending within the pump block, where the flow paths are aligned to receive molten polymer flowing from outlets of the metering pump assemblies and to deliver the molten polymer to a spinneret. The flow paths are arranged in flow path sets within the pump block, and each flow path set includes at least one flow path and is spaced a selected distance from the other flow path sets within the pump block so as to facilitate independent control of the temperature of a molten polymer flowing through each flow path set.

Temperature control system to independently maintain separate molten polymer streams at selected temperatures during fiber extrusion

A device and method for spinning polymer fibers utilizes one or more independent sources of polymer materials, pumps for feeding polymer material from each of the sources, and a series of distribution plates with surface grooves, through holes and/or slots together defining separated distribution paths, each of which receives polymer material from one of said independent sources. The surface grooves are defined to a depth less than the thickness of the distribution plate. At least one distribution plate contains spinneret orifices defined by outlet surface grooves extending from the distribution path to the edge of that plate, whereby fibers are extruded from the spinneret orifices edgewise from the plate. The spinneret orifices may be defined by overlayed outlet surface grooves or slots defined in abutting plates.

Method and apparatus for spinning a web of mixed fibers, and products produced therefrom

A multiplate spin pack receives metered molten polymer and metered amounts of additive components selectively proportioned to produce desired characteristics in extruded fiber. The additive components are mixed together and blended with the polymer by passage through a pattern of mixer channels formed in opposed faces of spin pack mix plates immediately upstream of the spinning orifices of a spinneret. Mixing is produced by splitting the fluids into multiple paths and repeatedly converging the paths into boundary layer contact. Short flow paths of mixed polymer minimizes time and waste in change over procedures.

Instant mixer spin pack

Process for making a fiber containing an additive

Growing community of inventors

Cocoa, FL, United States of America

Jeff S Haggard