Nylon melt-spinning apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SPINNING POLYAMIDES, COMPRISING: (A) A MELT EXTRUDER HAVING A PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM CAPACITY AND INCLUDING VARIABLE SPEED MEANS TO OPERATE SAID EXTRUDER IN A RANGE EXTENDING FROM A MINIMUM RATE TO A RATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SAID PREDETERMINED MAXIMUM CAPACITY, AN INPUT AND AN OUTPUT, (B) MEANS TO FEED POLYAMIDE FLAKE INTO THE INPUT OF SAID EXTRUDER, (C) MEANS TO HEAT THE FLAKE WITHIN SAID EXTRUDER TO A TEMPERATURE LEVEL SUFFICIENT TO MELT SAME WHEREBY SAID POLYAMIDE EMERGES FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID EXTRUDER IN MOLTEN FORM, (D) A STEAM TREATMENT CHAMBER, (E) MEANS COUPLING THE OUTPUT OF SAID EXTRUDER TO SAID CHAMBER TO INTRODUCE A STREAM OF MOLTEN POLYAMIDE THEREIN WHICH COLLECTS AS A MELT POOL, (F) MEANS TO FEED WATER INTO SAID CHAMBER ABOVE SAID POOLO (G) MEANS TO APPLY HEAT TO SAID CHAMBER AT A TEMPERATURE LEVEL MAINTAINING THE MOLTEN CONDITION OF SAID POOL AND VAPORIZING SAID WATER TO FORM STEAM SUBJECTING SAID POOL TO STEAM PRESSURE, (H) MEANS TO REGULATE SAID STEAM PRESSURE IN SAID CHAMBER TO MAINTAIN A PREDETERMINED STEAM PRESSURE LEVEL THEREIN, (I) A SPINNERET, AND (J) A METERING PUMP INTERCOUPLING SAID CHAMBER WITH SAID SPINNERET TO PASS SAID MOLTEN POLYAMIDE FROM SAID THROUGH TO FORM POLYAMIDE FILAMENTS, SAID PUMP BEING OPERABLE AT DIFFERENT RATES, THE HIGHEST OF WHICH REMOVES LESS OF SAID MOLTEN POLYAMIDE FROM SAID CHAMBER THAN SAID MELT EXTRUDER IS CAPABLE OF INTRODUCING THEREIN AT ITS MAXIMUM CAPACITY.