| (19) |
 |
|
(11) |
EP 0 384 299 A3 |
| (12) |
EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
| (88) |
Date of publication A3: |
|
06.11.1991 Bulletin 1991/45 |
| (43) |
Date of publication A2: |
|
29.08.1990 Bulletin 1990/35 |
| (22) |
Date of filing: 15.02.1990 |
|
| (51) |
International Patent Classification (IPC)5: D01F 9/22 |
|
| (84) |
Designated Contracting States: |
|
DE ES FR GB |
| (30) |
Priority: |
23.02.1989 US 314538
|
| (71) |
Applicant: HERCULES INCORPORATED |
|
Wilmington
Delaware 19894 (US) |
|
| (72) |
Inventor: |
|
- Schimpf, Warren C.
Wilmington,
Delaware 19805 (US)
|
| (74) |
Representative: Lederer, Franz, Dr. et al |
|
Lederer, Keller & Riederer
Patentanwälte
Prinzregentenstrasse 16
80538 München
80538 München (DE) |
|
| |
|
| (54) |
Thermally stabilized polyacrylonitrile polymers for carbon fiber manufacture |
(57) Disclosed is a process for manufacturing carbon fiber in which a polyacrylonitrile
polymer in the form of a multitude of filaments is heated in an atmosphere that is
substantially free of oxygen to form a thermally stabilized carbon fiber precursor
in an oxygen-containing atmosphere to form a stabilized and oxidized precursor and
then the thermally-stabilized precursor is heated in an oxygen-containing atmosphere
to oxidize the precursor, which is then conventionally carbonized in an atmosphere
substantially free of oxygen.