Basf Corporation

Honeywell International Inc.

Karl H Buchanan

Charles F Helms, Jr

Stanley A McIntosh

Frank R Jones

Wayne S Stanko

G Daniel Gasperson

David B Ledford

Gary W Shore

Arnold E Wilkie

Arthur Talley, Jr

Donald Caswell

Gary A Shore

John A Hodan

Wendel L Burton

A self-set yarn made from bicomponent fibers forms helical crimps that lock in twist and form bulk.

Self-setting yarn

Polymeric compositions include a nonaqueous additive system having dispersant-coated pigments physically dispersed in a liquid nonaqueous polymeric carrier which may be added directly to a melt flow of a polymeric host material. The additive system employed in the polymeric systems is most preferably in the form of a particulate paste which can be added in metered amounts (dosed) to a melt flow of the polymeric host material prior to being spun into filaments. By providing a number of additive systems having a number of different additive attributes, and controllably dosing one or more into the melt flow of host polymeric material, shaped objects of the polymeric material (e.g., melt-spun filaments) having different additive attributes may be produced on a continuous basis without shutting down the shaping operation.

Methods of making pigmented filaments

At least two different liquid streams are sub-divided into a dense plurality of individually separated parallel pixels oriented in respective misregistered arrays. Therefore, an individual pixel of one of the liquid stream arrays will be surrounded by pixels of the other liquid stream array. These individual pixel arrays are then bought into contact with one another to form a multi-pixel liquid stream comprised of the misregistered pixel arrays of the two different liquid streams. The &ldquo;pixelated&rdquo; liquid stream&mdash;that is, the liquid stream containing in cross-section the misregistered pixel arrays of the two different liquid streams&mdash;may then be further processed. For example, the pixelated liquid stream may be subjected to further mixing by being directed along a tortuous flow path.

Multi-pixel liquid streams, especially fiber-forming polymeric streams, and methods and apparatus for forming same

Dispersible additive systems for polymeric materials, and methods of making and incorporating the same in such polymeric materials

Synthetic filaments include a nonaqueous additive system having dispersant-coated pigments physically dispersed in a liquid nonaqueous polymeric carrier. The additive system is most preferably in the form of a particulate paste which can be added in metered amounts (dosed) to a melt flow of the polymeric host material prior to being spun into filaments. By providing a number of additive systems having a number of different additive attributes, and controllably dosing one or more into the melt flow of polymeric material, melt-spun filaments having different additive attributes may be produced on a continuous basis (i.e., without shutting down the spinning operation). The filaments may be included in yarns which are formed into carpet structures.

Additive-containing synthetic filaments, and yarns and carpets including

Methods of continuously producing sequential lengths of different additive-containing melt-spun filaments include continuously supplying a melt-spinnable polymeric host material to orifices of a spinneret and controllably dosing at least one dispersible additive concentrate system containing a pigment in a liquid nonaqueous polymeric carrier to the melt flow of polymeric host material upstream of the spinneret orifices. In such a manner, a first polymeric mixture of the dispersible additive concentrate system and the polymeric host material is obtained which achieves an additive attribute. During a first time interval, the first mixture is extruded through the spinneret orifices; and thereafter, during a second subsequent time interval, the dosing of the at least one dispersible additive is changed so as to form a second mixture having a second additive attribute different from the first additive attribute while continuously supplying the melt flow of polymeric host material to the spinneret orifices. The melt-spun filaments will thus have a first length corresponding to the first additive attribute of the first mixture and a second subsequent length corresponding to the second additive attribute of the second mixture. The methods and additives employed most preferably achieve Hunter Green Purge Values of between about 0.10 to about 1.40 sec/cm.sup.3.

Methods of making different additive-containing filaments

Nonaqueous additive systems which includes dispersant-coated pigments physically dispersed in a liquid nonaqueous polymeric carrier are added directly to a melt flow of a polymeric host material prior to spinning. The additive system is most preferably in the form of a particulate paste which can be added in metered amounts (dosed) to a melt flow of the polymeric host material prior to being spun into filaments. By providing a number of additive systems having a number of different additive attributes, and controllably dosing one or more into the melt flow of polymeric material, melt-spun filaments having different additive attributes may be produced on a continuous basis (i.e., without shutting down the spinning operation).

Methods of making pigmented synthetic filaments

A filter element surface is coated with particulate polyamide which serves as a filter aid to trap polyamide oligomers suspended in water. The particulate polyamide is preferably coated onto a surface of a bag filter so that polyamide oligomers flowing through the coated bag filter surface will adhere to the polyamide particles forming an oligomer cake thereon which encapsulates the polyamide particles. Momentarily equalling the pressure differential across, or reversing flow through, the coated bag filter surface (i.e., back-pulsing) will cause the oligomer cake and polyamide particles encapsulated thereby to break into relatively large-sized solid aggregate particles which may be easily recovered. Since the polyamide particles which are encapsulated by the oligomer cake are chemically compatible with one another, the entire particulate aggregate may be subjected to depolymerization processing so as to recover monomers from which the polyamide is formed (e.g., caprolactam). Filter coating and back-pulsing may be automated using a programmable controller and flow control valves.

Growing community of inventors

Arden, NC, United States of America

Karl H Buchanan