Process for producing chlorotrifluoroethylene fibers

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MONO-FILAMENTS FROM CHLOROTRIFLUOROETHYLENE HOMOPOLYMERS HAVING A SOFTENING POINT ABOVE ABOUT 210* C. WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF PREPARING A MIXTURE OF FINELY DIVIDED CHLOROTRIFLUOROETHYLENE HOMOPOLYMER IN A LIQUID ORGANIC SOLVENT BOILING BELOW 140* C., SAID POLYMER BEING OF A SMALL PARTICLE SIZE, PLACING SAID MIXTURE IN A CLOSED CONTAINER PROVIDED WITH A NEEDLE VALVE HAVING A SMALL ORIFICE, HEATING SAID MIXTURE TO A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE BOILING POINT OF THE ORGANIC SOLVENT, SO THAT SUPER-ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE IS DEVELOPED, AND BELOW THE POLYMER DEGRADATION TEMPERATURE UNTIL A SOLUTION OF POLYMER IN SAID ORGANIC SOLVENT IS EFFECTED, OPENING SAID VALVE AND PERMITTING THE DISSOLVED POLYMER TO EXTRUDE THROUGH SAID ORIFICE INTO AIR AS A SUBSTANTIALLY SOLVENT FREE MONO-FILAMENT, AND HEATING SAID MONO-FILAMENT TO ELIMINATE THE VOIDS THEREIN, THEREBY PRODUCING A FILAMENT OF SMALLER DIAMETER THAN SAID FIRST-MENTIONED MONO-FILAMENT.