DE1826977U - TOBACCO SMOKE FILTER ELEMENT. - Google Patents

Description

Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York State, United States from America.

Tobacco smoke filter element The utility model relates to tobacco smoke filters, in particular, improved cigarette filters made from certain grade polyolefin material.

The field of tobacco smoke filters has received considerable attention recently given. Numerous patents and publications have appeared on the subject. Many of the known filters consist of plugs or wads of short fibers or Grains of various materials for filtering purposes.

Many of the known tobacco smoke filters are made of paper or the like Materials made.

However, these known filters are in some Respect not satisfying. Many of them are not particularly effective and others are special the plug-like and bulky ones are disadvantageous because of their high pressure drop.

For tobacco smoke filters, in addition to the filter capacity, a number of other properties are taken into account.

So z. B. a cigarette filter in the mouth of the viewfinder is an acceptable one Create feeling, d. H. it has to be compact and not just initially, and it may do not get soaked or come off the cigarette. It mustn't be so high Pressure drops mean that smoke permeation is a noticeable one for the smoker Effort means. It must be cheap to manufacture and on automatic equipment producible or otherwise for the rapid required in the cigarette production Be suitable for mass production.

In recent years certain cellulose acetate yarns have come into large-scale use for cigarette filters and in most cases have replaced the paper filters previously used. Although such yarn-like materials produce cigarette filters with improved properties over the previous ones and are made of a material that can be easily processed in automatic equipment, there are certain disadvantages with such filters. So is with the usual manufacturing process for cellulose acetate yarn filters -. Including the addition of softener to the yarn, which binds the fibers of the yarn to make the filter stiff. This, of course, requires atomizing cells and similar arrangements for applying the plasticizer. In other cases, again, particularly when staple fiber yarn from regenerated cellulosic fibers is used for the production of the filter, it has been necessary to cover or impregnate the yarn with a binding or coating material based on cellulose.

This process step likewise requires use an atomizer, immersion bath, or the like. Although the Cellulose acetate filters are more effective than many of the earlier filters, because they are not as economical to produce and not as effective as those described below Filter according to the invention.

The subject of the utility model is a cigarette filter that is relatively solid, does not get soaked or softened by the mouth or smoke moisture, which, due to its hydrophobic properties, does not dry the tobacco smoke or extracts certain hydrophilic vapor from it that are related to the aroma of the smoke; furthermore, this invention also has a method for producing sol- cher improved filter on the subject. . The general idea of the invention assumes that certain polyolefins in the form of a bundle running fibers can be brought. It has been shown that these continuous fibers can be strongly crimped, ie the crimp can advantageously be much stronger than has been previously used for filter material.

It has been found that a combination of such high curl and strong paper wrapping or high ripple and heat treatment a comparatively , results in a rigid filter without the addition of a soft macher or binder is required, such as. B. the Usual S addition of a cellulose-based adhesive component. The crimped material according to the invention can, if desired, be produced on known apparatus for the automatic production of cigarette filter rods.

The polyolefin material preferably used has a molecular weight between 10,000 and 1,000,000. The molecular weight of the polyolefin material is preferably between 30,000 and 200,000. The softening point of the preferred polyolefin is between 85 and 1600 C. Of the various industrially produced polyols fin materials we. the polyethylene and polypropylene preference, with polyethylene by the monomer unit H1 0 - and polypropylene through the monomer unit HH l HH HH --c-is represented. ut . "CH. n n To produce the fibers for the inventive fil- both low-density polyethylene, i.e. ches with a softening point of about 90 to 100 ° C, as well as those of high density, i.e. with an expansion chopping point of 110 to 1500 C, can be used. The special production method of the polyolefin material is is not the subject of the utility model and is relevant industry known. In other words, the Liche polyolefin material can be made stating the above Molecular weight and other characteristic values of a poly olefin producers. But what matters is it is that the polyolefin material used according to the invention is resistant to moisture absorption.

A polyolefin of suitable composition becomes one.

Bundles of parallel fibers are spun which are then crimped on a textile strand crimp assembly. Preferably, an arrangement is used which imparts a uniform crimp. The number of fibers required in the bundle or strand to produce a filter rod of satisfactory properties depends on the diameter of the individual fibers in the strand as well as the amount of crimp imparted to the strand; in general, when imparting a crimp in the range of about 5 to 12 crimps per cm, 3,500 to 120,000 fibers are required at 16 to 0.5 denier per fiber. The following overview shows how the number of fibers can fluctuate with decreasing fiber diameter in strands that have a degree of crimp in the range of about 5 to 12 crimps. genes per cm. Fiber strength in the range of the number of fibers in a rod Denier / fiber with a circumference of 25.5 mm 0, 550,000-120,000 135,000-70,000 316,000-30,000 415,000-25,000 86,000-15,000 163.500-7.500 The utility model is not limited to a specific process for spinning the polyolefin material into fibers. Any method customary in the textile industry for the production of polyolefin fibers can be used to produce the fibers used according to the invention, provided that a suitable denier is achieved in this way.

As already said, vegetables are the preferred embodiment of the Utility model the strand of parallel fibers a relatively high degree of crimp awarded. If you want to make fibers that use the familiar ones for filters Fibers are somewhat similar, so one can also use a lower strand for the strand Lend a degree of crimp, approximately in the order of magnitude of 2 to 5 crimps per cm. Even then, if one is within the scope of the utility model, polyolefin materials used to obtain a filter superior to the known one.

Various types of crimping apparatus can be used will. Examples of satisfactory crimp arrangements are in the following U.S. patents Cited: 2,090,669, 2,311,174.2 505,618, 2,698,970, 2,734 228.2 734 229.2 734 251.2 740 992 and 2 749 233.

Most of the curling ring arrangements used technically for Textile strands are of the "gland" type, although in some cases they are also of the "gear type" ... be used. Both types are described in the aforementioned patents. Used to manufacture the crimped fibers used in accordance with the utility model it is advantageous to use textile cord crimping devices of the "stuffing box type", since it has these easily enable crimps ranging from about 2 to about 16 crimps per cm and an amplitude of 0.25 to 2.5 mm.

From the above it can be seen that the actual length of the ripple section, which is expressed in crimps per cm and depends on the number of crimps and their amplitude, e.g. B. in a section 1 cm long in the curled state can actually be 1.75 to 2 cm, based on the uncrimped state. It follows that the strand used according to the invention is given a considerable filling capacity if it is given a high degree of crimp, and that the fibers a certain firmness from this high level alone Kräuselungsgretd is awarded. The crimped continuous polyolefin fibers prepared as mentioned above can be fed to a conventional automatic filter making apparatus. In such an apparatus, a bundle of crimped fibers is formed into a filter element which is surrounded by a paper wrapper and cut into pieces which are fed to cigarette machines for applying the filter to the cigarette. The products in accordance with the utility model are transferred to cigarette filters in this way, but as an additional advantage, atomizer cells and similar components are left out or, if they are already present, can remain unused. To produce filters with a high degree of strength, it is advantageous to choose the paper wrapping to be considerably thicker than is usual for cigarette paper. While the usual covers for cigarette filters, for example, have thicknesses in the range from 0.02 to 0.04 mm, the thickness preferred according to the utility model is in the range from 0.08 to 0.15 mm. Any type of paper wrapping of this thickness range can be used to achieve such advantageous results; This preferred thickness can therefore also be obtained by several layers of thinner paper or by applying a coating to conventional cigarette paper.

The use of stiffer or stronger wrapping material serves a better strength of the staff, but also can other procedures with or without such strong paper wrappings can be used to give the filter hardness to rent. So z. B. the according to the utility model fiber bundle by a heated metal mold block. The heat makes the thermoplastic Fibers according to the invention not only fused superficially, but the heat also causes some melting within the filter element at the points where the heavily curled fibers touch each other. That way you can be self-consistent Filter elements are produced without an outer covering or a plasticizer or Coating additive for the fibers is required. As I said, however, the Combination of strongly curled fibers with a strong paper wrapping preferred.

It can be seen that the crimped polyolefin multifilamentary material according to the invention in various ways in conventional apparatus to filter elements can be processed, these housed in a strong paper envelope or processed in any other way that does not require wrapping can be.

Have experiments with the filter elements according to the utility model shown that these contain a greater amount of tar and Withdraw nicotine with about the same or even lower pressure drop than that of the commercially available ones available filter elements occurs.

The drawing shows a schematic representation in FIG utility model crimped polyolefin fiber; 2 shows a tobacco smoke filter element, as it is used according to the invention for cigarettes.

The filter element consists, as Fig. 2 shows, of the piece 2 of a bundle of fibers 1, which is from a paper sleeve 3 is surrounded. CD Examples I and II explain preferred embodiments of the utility model, Examples III and IV are mainly used for comparison purposes.

Example I. Polyethylene filter - Drawn high density polyethylene yarn of 5.0 denier per fiber is made by melt spinning polyethylene through a 50 hole spinneret with openings of 0.30 mm. It has a tenacity of 2.9 grams per denier, an elongation of 30% and a softening point around 1150c. It is made into Slyang form (16,000 fibers), and a It is in St. The portion of the strand is provided with about 10 crimps per cm on a textile crimping apparatus, all of which run in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the fibers. The crimped strand is spread out to a width of about 30 cm and fed to a filter rod production machine which is used to produce filters wrapped with cigarette paper. The bars are 90 mm long and have a circumference of 25.5 mm. After 10 seconds of heating at 1200 C, the rods have a satisfactory degree of strength @ and a pressure drop of about 23.2 cm at an air flow rate of 17.5 mm per second. Two of the rods are cut into 15 mm long pieces and cut to 10 ""King-size" cigarettes (brand A) that have been shortened by 15 mm. These filter cigarettes are on an automatic smoking machine, similar to that of JA Harlan and HR Hanmer in "Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Volume 28, page 836 ff. (1936) en described smoked to stub lengths of 35 mm. Of the. - Smoke passing through the filters is collected and applied Nicotine and tar content analyzed. The results of the experiment are shown in Table I.

Example II Polypropylene Filters By spinning polypropylene through a 50-hole spinneret with openings of 0.30 mm becomes a drawn polypropylene yarn made of 4.8 denier per fiber. The drawn yarn has a strength of 4.7 grams per denier, an elongation of 35% and a softening point around 1260 C.

It is made into a strand (16,700 fibers) and provided with about 11 crimps per cm. The crimped strand is spread to a width of about 30 cm and fed to a filter rod making machine, which forms it into the shape of a tight bundle and with a with 0.10 mm thick paper wrapping. the The filter rods formed are sufficiently strong due to the strong paper wrapping, without the need for heat treatment. They are 90 mm long and 25.7 mm in circumference; their average pressure drop is about 22.8 cm. Two such plugs are cut into pieces 15 mm in length. blended and put these on 10 "king size" cigarettes (brand A), which were shortened by 15 mm. These filter cigarettes were smoked on the automatic smoking machine to stub lengths of 35 mm and the collected smoke was analyzed for nicotine and tar content. For the results, see in Table I. 11th Example her Cellulose acetate filter For comparison purposes, a standard commercial cellulose acetate filter is made. This was made from commercial cellulose acetate 40, acetyl by spinning into 5.0 denier per fiber yarn in the conventional manner. This yarn has a tenacity of 1.2 grams per denier and an elongation of 32%. Its softening point is around 1950 C. It is converted into a strand of 16,000 fibers and provided with about 5 crimps per cm (the degree of crimp customary for normal cellulose acetate filter strands). The crimped strand is spread out to a width of about 30 cm and fed to a filter rod-making machine, which gathers it into a bundle and wrapped in paper. The filter rods have a circumference of 25.7 mm. They are still very soft even after being heated to 1500 for an hour. You will be. not used for comparison purposes. Another part of the stretched strand is sprayed with a softener (glycerol triacetate) until the total weight of the sprayed strand consists of 85% of the yarn and 15% of the softener. The sprayed strand is shown in the legs travel shaped into filter rods. After an hour They are stored at room temperature (around 240 C) about as strong as the preferred paper-wrapped ones Polyethylene and polypropylene rods from Examples I and II. The plasticized drops become 15 mm long Cut into pieces and put on 10 king size cigarettes . aretten (Mark A), which have been shortened by 15 mm. These filter cigarettes are smoked on the automatic smoking machine to a stub length of 35 mm. The results of the experiment are shown in Table I.

Example IV Polyethylene filter For comparison with Example III, a filter of the type indicated below is made, ie a polyethylene filter with a ripple similar to that for the cellu- loose acetate filter corresponds to usual. - Accordingly, a portion of the polyethylene strand (33 * 000 fibers) according to Example I with only about 5 crimps provided per cm. The strand curled in this way ; is shaped into plugs, heard and 15 mm long fil- pieces, as described in Example I, checked. The Pressure drop of filter cigarettes made therefrom and the withheld nicotine and tar levels are in Table I listed. Table I. Type of 85 mm through-mg tar mg nic-% des des des long, to 35 cut-in the smoke tin in through by there mm-stub licher (10 Zig-Rauch the Fil-Filter z smoky pressure saving) (10 ci-ter back Cigarette case Zi-garet-restrained garetten ten) held nicotine (in water) tar Brand A no filter 8.0 170 26-- Brand A Poly ethylene filter Example 1 10, 2 120 19 29 27 Brand A Polypropylene filter Example 11 10.2 124 19 27 27 Brand A Cellulose acetate filter Example 111 9.8 139 22 18 16 Brand A Polyethylene filter Example IV 948 129 20 24 23 The results of Table I show that the polyethylene and polypropylene filters remove more tar and nicotine from cigarette smoke-bis the known filters are the same Number of fibers and pressure drop. The polyethylene filter with the same number of crimps (5) as the cellulose acetate filter removes more nicotine and tar than this one.

That shows that polyethylene and polypropylene fibers are better cigarette smoke filters are known as the cellulose based filters. Except the simple mechanical one The process of removing tar and nicotine particles while crossing out the take According to the utility model, the filter also has an electrostatic charge that Holds smoke particles on their surface.

From the above it follows that according to the usage model, relatively effective new and economical tobacco smoke filters are obtained. In addition to the advantageous filter properties mentioned, the filters have certain other advantages. For example, they are solid without the need for a liquid binder; the fiber strands, the polyolefin fibers in and of themselves, can also be stronger are much stronger than-i-cellulose-based ones Withstand tension in the manufacture of the filter rods. This enables the filter to be manufactured at a higher speed.

Claims (1)

'r at on "t / -fn spr ü cbe -. 1. Tobacco smoke filter element which is essentially made up of pieces - consists of a bundle of continuous fibers, thereby indicates that the fibers used are strongly crimped polyolefin fibers (1). 2. tobacco smoke filter element according to claim 1, characterized records that the fibers (1) up to 16 and preferably IJ have at least 5 crimps per cm. 3. Tobacco smoke filter element according to one of claims q or 2, characterized in that the crimps have an amplitude of approximately 0.25 to 2.5 mm. 4. Tobacco smoke filter element according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized characterized in that the fiber bundle consists of a substantially longitudinally extending Strand consists. 5. tobacco smoke filter element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized characterized in that the fiber bundle has about 3,500 to 120,000 fibers' (1) with a Has a single strength of about 0.5 to 16 denier. 6. tobacco smoke filter element according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized characterized in that the fibers (1) made of polyolefins with an average Molecular weight in the range of 0,000 to 200,000 and having a softening point exist in the range from 85 to 1600 e. 7. Tobacco smoke filter element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized characterized that neighboring fibers of the bundle in. statistical distribution Have weld points. 8. tobacco smoke filter element according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized characterized in that the bundle pieces (2) with a strong, preferably papery Sheath (3) are provided. G. Tobacco smoke filter element according to claim 8, characterized characterized in that the paper (3) has a thickness of about 0.08 to 0.15 mm.