Courtaulds Fibres (holdings) Ltd.

Neville P Bluckert

Alan Sellars

Ronald Derek Payne

Penny E Letts

Crimped fibres of solvent-spun cellulose are made and checked for damage in a method in which: i) cellulose is dissolved in an amine oxide solvent to form a hot cellulose solution, ii) the hot cellulose solution is extruded through a die assembly to form a tow of continuous filaments, iii) the tow is passed through a water bath to leach out the amine oxide iv) the tow is crimped by passing through a stuffer box in which it is compressed to apply crimp, v) dry steam being injected into the stuffer box during the crimping process, and vi) the crimped tow leaving the stuffer box is passed through detection means in which vii) a beam is projected across the path of travel of the tow and is received by receiving means on the opposite side of the tow, the receiving means being calibrated to initiate a signal if obscurement of the beam by the tow varies beyond a predetermined amount.

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Lincs, United Kingdom

Neville P Bluckert