BOOK R E V I E W

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF MAN-MADE FIBRES* Reviewed by B. E. Geller

On the eve of his 70th birthday the renowned scientist Prof. Z. A. Rogovin, Doctor of Techinlcal Sciences, Merited Worker of Science and Engineering of the RSFSR, and holder of State Prizes, saw the publication of the fourth, revised and enlarged edition of his important work "Fundamentals of the Chemistry and Technology of Man-Made Fibres", a work which forms the main teaching aid for students at higher institutes of learning who specialize in the field of man-made fibre production. The book was first written over a quarter century ago and, together with the constantly revised curriculum of the basic technological course at higher institutes of learning, has since then formed the basis for the professional training of thousands of engineers, technicians, and scientists in the field of man-made fibres. In the new two-volume edition the teaching material dealing with the production technology for synthetic fibres has been substantially reduced and the sections devoted to the chemlcotechnological aspects of man-made fibre production, which now include a description of the production processes of thermostable, heat-resisting, and super-tenacity high-molec~ ular fibres, have been enlarged. The first volume consists of two parts the first of which deals with general problems in man-made fibre production. The material acquaints the reader with the physico-chemical principles of spinning and with the configuration of the equipment required for the technological processes in the production of man-made fibres from melts by wet and dry methods. The second part contains a description of the technological processes in the production of cellulosic, viz., regenerated cellulose and acetate, fibres. As regards aspects of the teaching procedure, this is the most complete section. First originating in Z. A. Rogovin's excellent and still important texbook on the production technology of cellulosic fibres$ the theoretical and factual material in this section underwent constant revision for each successive edition of the book under review and forms a good foundation for the training of specialists in the field. The second volume contains a description of the chemicotechnological principle of the synthesis of fibre-forming polymers and characteristic features of the production of polyamlde, polyester, polyurethan, polyformaldehyde, polyacrylonitrilem polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, and fluorine-containing fibres. As already stated, the book ends with chapters dealing with thermostable, heat-resisting, super-tenacity, and high-modulus fibres. The teaching material in the book is presented in the form of qualitative descriptions of the processes on the basis of the chemical classification of fibre-forming polymers. Special mention must be made of the author's efforts to focus the readers attention on concrete technological facts as the manifestation of general materialistic dialectical laws. Within the limits of this review it would not be possible to dwell in detail on the contents of each chapter and to carry out an in-depth analysis of the merits and demerits of this book. It is an indisuptable fact that the fourth edition of Z. Z. Rogovin's "Fundamen-

Khimiya, Moscow (1974), Vol. i, 518 pages; Vol. 2, 343 pages #Z. A. Rogovin, The Chemistry and Technology of Viscose Rayon Production [in Russian], GNTI Khlm. Lit., Moscow (1940), 588 pages. Translated from Khlmicheskie Volokna, No. i, p. 73, January-February, 1976. © 1976 Plenum Publishing Corporation, 227 West 17th Street, New York, N.Y. 10011. No part o f this publication may be reproduced. stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission o f the publisher. A copy o f this article is available from the publisher for $15. 00.

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tals of the Chemistry and Technology of Man-Made Fibres" is the principal effective teaching aid for institutes of learning in which specialists in this branch of the chemical industry are trained. On the other hand, the rapid growth of man-made fibre production, the qualitative changes taking place in technology and equipment configuration, and the creation of an at least semiquantitative theory to describe the individual production stages underline, in the reviewer's opinion, the necessity for an advantages of a change to more comprenhensive training programs for specialists and of corresponding changes in the teaching and methods literature. The presentation of the theoretical and applied laws of the chemistry and technology of man-made fibres on the basis of physico-chemical and mathematical principles would provide for a more general and at the same time more thorough training of specialists. Of considerable significance too is the interrelation of the various technological approaches and methods in the production of fibres of maximum diversity. Deepening the student's knowledge in the field of the processes of the structure formation in polymeric systems would undoubtedly stimulate the specialist-to-be to more effective participation in the creation not merely of new technological processes in the production of existing types of fibres but also of new types for the most diverse end purposes. This is the reason why a change from the present qualitative description of technological processes to a quantitative characterization would be highly advantageous. The point at issue here is obviously not that the composition or contents of the book contain basic faults but only that there are ways in which the teaching process and the relevant literature can be improved further. The book does, unfortunately contain some equivocal formulations and hypotheses which require closer definition. For example, Z. A. Rogovin considers (Vol. i, p. 58) that "spinning represents the process of forming fibre from a polymer solution or melt extruded through the holes of a spinneret." In other words, the author confines the fibre-forming process to the stage in which the filament is produced. The whole of scientific and technological experience demonstrates, however, that the forming of the fibre includes all stages of the process which starts with the instant when the mobility of the structure elements of the isotropic polymer increases as a result of solution, melting, or softening and ends with the fixation of the structure of the uniaxially oriented polymer. In the reviewer's opinion it would therefore be more correct to state that "spinning represents the sequence of the technological operations which ensure that the polymer acquires a fibre-like shape and a fixed uniaxially oriented structure." An important characteristic of the fibre structure like porosity and its variation in the spinning process is not examined in the book. Yet it is precisely this characteristic which is the determining factor when deciding the optimum time and concentration parameters in the process of finishing man-made fibres on continuous-process machines or on bobbins and in cakes and equally in wet-finishing. The high sorption capacity of wet-spun fibres before drying requires washing liquors of a high degree of purity. The author's definition of the phenomena of vitrification (Vol. i, p. 99) and relaxation (Vol i, p. 102) are, in the present writer's view, unhappy. Moreover, in a textbook it scarcely serves a useful purpose to devote so much space to unpromising methods of modifying fibres based on primary and secondary cellulose acetates (Vol. i, p. 506) without at the same time drawing the reader's attention to problems relating to the higher spinning speed and lower twist in these methods. By the way, the lubricant in a highly volatile organic solvent recommended in the book for use on spinning machines is technologically unsuitable from the standpoint of labor protection. The book contains the current State Standards for starting materials but not always a substantiation of the requirements specified in these documents. For example, the description of the influence of the various characteristics of cellulose on the technology and properties of viscose rayon staple contains important information about 'zero-fibres' (Vol. i, p. 193) although these fibres are not mentioned in the relevant State Standard. To a reader who is making his first acquaintance with the technology concerned this will be an unfamiliar term so that a more explicit explanation should be provided. In an analysis of problems relating to the process of rayon toughening by plasticized stretching not sufficient emphasis is laid on the relation between the composition of the precipitation liquor and other parameters of the flbre-forming process on the one hand and

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the remanent xanthate on the other as a factor which influences the mobility of the structure elements in the orientation process to a significant degree (Chapt. 12). These and other faults are not fundamental ones, of course, and can be corrected in the course of lectures and practical study. There is no doubt that the fourth edition of Z. A. Rogovin's textbook "Fundamentals of the Chemistry and Technology of Man-Made Fibres" will be deservedly acclaimed by workers at teaching institutes and in industry and equally by specialists in other countries.

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