Granulation of fusible, molecularly orientable polymers

Claim 1

PROCESS FOR FORMING GRANULES FROM FUSIBLE, MOLECULARLY ORIENTABLE THERMOPLASTIC ORGANIC POLYMER WHICH COMPRISES EXTRUDING FROM A MELT OF SAID POLYMER SEPARATE, ROUNDED, ESSENTIALLY UNIFORM, ESSENTIALLY NONMOLECULARLYORIENTED FILAMENTS; PASSING SAID FILAMENTS INTO AN INERT COOLING LIQUID; COOLING SAID FILAMENTS TO SURFACE TEMPERATURE BELOW THE TEMPERATURE AT WHICH FUSION OCCURS AND COALESCENCE BETWEEN FILAMENTS WILL DEVELOP IMMEDIATELY AT ALL ADJACENT AREAS BUT WITH AVERAGE TEMPERATURE REMAINING IN THE RANGE IN WHICH THE FILAMENTS ADHERE WHILE MAINTAINING THEIR INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY; THEN IMMEDIATELY GATHERINGS SAID FILAMENTS INTO SIDE-BY-SIDE CONTACT IN A RIBBON WHEREIN EACH FILAMENT SUBSTANTIALLY MAINTAINS ITS INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH; CONTINUING TO EXTRACT HEAT FROM THE SURFACE OF THE RIBBON EXCEPT THE LATERALLY CONTACTING SURFACES OF THE FILAMENTS, AT A RATE TO ALLOW THE RIBBON TO SOLIDIFY INTO A CONNECTED STRUCTURE; THEN PASSING THE RIBBON UNDER NONORIENTING TENSION TO A CUTTER WHICH SEVERS THE FREE END THEREOF AND BREAKS THE SEVERED STRIP INTO SEPARATE GRANULES AT THE LATERAL BONDS BETWEEN FILAMENT ENDS.