Preparation of fibrous copolymers of propylene and ethylene

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HIGH YIELDS OF NASCENT FIBERS OF SUBSTANTIALLY CRYSTALLINE COPOLYMERS OF PROPYLENE AND ETHYLENE, SAID COPOLYMERS, CONTAINING 1.5 TO 6.8 WEIGHT % OF ETHYLENE AND HAVING AN INTRINSIC VISCOSITY GREATER THAN 2.0 AND AT LEAST 60 % OF SAID NASCENT FIBERS HAVING AN AVERAGE DIAMETER OF 3 TO 12 MILS AND AN AVERAGE LENGTH OF 125 TO 250 MILS, WHICH PROCESS CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF THE STEPS OF INTRODUCING A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF TICL3 INTO A REACTION MEDIUM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A SATURATED ALIPHATIC OR ALKCYCLIC HYDROCARBON DILUENT CONTAINING FROM SIX TO 12 CARBON ATOMS, A DIALKYLALUMINUM HALIDE ACTIVATOR, AND A MONOMER MIXTURE OF PROPYLENE AND FROM 2.2 UP TO ABOUT 10 MOLAR % OF ETHYLENE, AGITATING THE REACTION MEDIUM UNDER POLYMERIZATION CONDITIONS AT A TEMPERATURE RANGING FROM ABOUT 40* TO ABOUT 70*C. USING SUFFICIENT AGITATION TO INSURE ADEQUATE CONTACT OF THE MONOMER MIXTURE, TICL3 AND DIALKYL ALUMINUM HALIDE ACTIVATOR UNTIL FIBERS OF SAID COPOLYMER ARE PRODUCED AND THEN RECOVERING THE FIBROUS PRODUCT FROM THE REACTION MEDIUM AT A TEMPERATURE OF 70*C. OR BELOW, SAID CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF TICL3 RANGING FROM ABOUT 1 TO ABOUT 20 MILLIMOLES PER LITER OF DILUENT AND THE MOLAR RATIO OF ACTIVATOR TO TICL2 RANGING FROM 1:1 TO 10:1