Continuous liquid phase process for melt spinning acrylonitrile polymer

Claim 1

A process for preparing acrylonitrile polymer fiber which comprises continuously feeding a slurry of at least about 10% of fiber-forming, washed acrylonitrile polymer solids and water, said slurry also containing from about 0.0 to about 3 weight percent of a cationic surfactant, into an evaporator at a pressure of from about 30 to about 150 psig, a temperature such that said slurry is gradually formed into a single phase homogeneous melt and the water thereof is continuously evaporated therefrom to result in the reduction of water in said melt to less than about 25 weight percent, and for such a time that said polymer is not degraded, recovering a single phase homogeneous polymer melt of reduced water content and passing the same through a spinnerette assembly directly into a steam pressurized solidification zone maintained under conditions which control release of water from the nascent filaments formed to thereby prevent degradation thereof and recovering the resultant fiber.