PRODUCTION OF AND DRYING OF COPOLYMER FIBERS

• Main Authors: ALLEN STEVEN R, NEWTON CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 17.01.2013
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CARBONFILAMENTS; BLASTING; CHEMICAL FEATURES IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS,THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES OR RIBBONS; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; DRYING; DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM; FINISHING OR DRESSING OF FILAMENTS, YARNS, THREADS, CORDS,ROPES OR THE LIKE; HEATING; LIGHTING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; MECHANICAL METHODS OR APPARATUS IN THE MANUFACTURE OFARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS, THREADS, FIBRES, BRISTLES ORRIBBONS; METALLURGY; NATURAL OR ARTIFICIAL THREADS OR FIBRES; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; SPINNING; TEXTILES; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; WARPING OR BEAMING; WEAPONS; YARNS

The present invention concerns processes for reducing water in never-dried fiber comprising copolymer derived from the copolymerization of para-phenylenediamine, 5(6)-amino-2-(p-aminophenyl)benzimidazole; and terephthaloyl dichloride, the process having the following steps in a continuous process, (a) a step of drying a never-dried fiber having at least 0.1% sulfur at less than 150° C. until the moisture content of the fiber is less than 60 weight percent; and (b) a step of further drying the fiber above 150° C. while the moisture content of the fiber is no more than 60 weight percent; and the fiber being further heated to at least 350° C. in either an additional continuous or separate step.