Apparatus for producing fibers

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR FORMING FIBERS FROM A VISCOUS MATERIAL, COMPRISING A FIRST AND A SECOND ROTOR MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ON AXES SUBSTANTIALLY OUT OF PARALLLISM, SAID ROTORS BEING PROVIDED WITH COACTING PERIPHERAL FILAMENTFORMING SURFACES EACH OF WHICH EXTENDS AT AN ANGLE TO ITS AXIS OF ROTATION AND WITH SAID FILAMENTS-FORMING SURFACES AT ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL POINT IN CONTIGUOUS, CLOSELY SPACED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, CONSTITUTING A LINE OF APPROACH TO SAID SURFACES, MEANS FOR ROTATING AID ROTORS, MEANS FOR APPLYING A VISCOUS MATERIAL TO SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR AND TO CAUSE SAID MATERIAL TO BE MOVED INTO CONTACT WITH THE SURFACE OF THE SECOND ROTOR ADJACENT SAID LINE OF APPROACH TO CAUSE FILAMENTS TO BE DRAWN FROM SAID MATERIAL AS SAID ROTORS CONTINUE TO ROTATE PAST SAID LINE OF APPROACH, MEANS FOR SPREADING OUT AND SMOOTHING OVER SAID VISCOUS MATERIAL APPLIED TO SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR, SAID MEANS FOR SPREADING OUT AND SMOOTHING OVER SAID MATERIAL COMPRISING A THIRD ROTOR HAVING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE POSITIONED TO BE CONTIGUOUS AT ONE CIRCUMFERENTIAL LOCATION TO THE FILAMENT-FORMING SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR, MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID THIRD ROTOR AT A PERIPHERAL SPEED LESS THAN THE PERIPHERAL SPEED OF SAID FIRST ROTOR, SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING SAID VISCOUS MATERIAL TO SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR COMPRISING A DISHED END ON THE AXIAL EXTREMITY OF ONE OF SAID ROTORS, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING VISCOUS MATERIAL TO SAID DISHED END, SAID ROTATION OF SAID ROTORS CAUSING SAID VISCOUS MATERIAL TO MOVE OVER THE EDGE OF SAID DISHED END AND TO FLOW OVER SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR AND TO PASS BETWEEN AND BE CONTACTED BY THE CONTIGUOUS SURFACES OF SAID FIRST AND THIRD ROTORS SO AS TO BE SPREAD OUT AND SMOOTHED OVER SAID SURFACE OF SAID FIRST ROTOR SO THAT PLURALITY OF FILAMENTS MAY BE FORMED FROM SAID FILAMENT-FORMING SURFACES OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROTORS AS THEY PASS THROUGH SAID LINE OF APPROACH.