Abstract: A winding apparatus for multifilament fiber bundles wherein a plurality of fiber bundles are wound on a plurality of winders corresponding to each fiber bundle. A common waste yarn winder is provided independently from the winders, and the fiber bundles to be wound first are wound concurrently as waste yarn. Next, the fiber bundles being wound on the waste yarn winder are detached one by one sequentially from the waste yarn winder and then wound on the winders corresponding to each fiber bundle.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously producing continuous oxidized filaments which comprises an oxidizing furnace having a heated oxidizing gas atmosphere therein, into which continuous precursor filaments such as polyacrylaonitle filaments are continuously introduced, in which the precursor filaments are converted into oxidized filaments and from which the oxidized filaments are continuously drawn out, a first duct communicated with the furnace to provide a flow of an oxidizing gas such as heated air having a temperature in the range of from about 200.degree. C. to about 300.degree. C.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for threading acrylic filaments on rollers of an oxidizing furnace, wherein (a) the atmospheric temperature in the furnace is maintained at 180.degree. C. to the oxidizing temperature, (b) the tips of said filaments are fastened to a filament-fastening bar spanning a pair of chains which engage chain wheels provided at both ends of each roller freely rotatable against the roller, (c) the chains are moved, thereby said filament-fastening bar attached to the chains being moved from the entrance to the exit of the furnace and the filaments being threaded on the rollers, and (d) the moving speed of the chains is controlled with progress of heat-treating of the filaments so as to match the behavior of shrinkage and elongation of the filaments.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improvement in a process for producing oxidized fibers wherein precursor fibers comprised of oxidizable continuous filaments are repeatedly brought into or out of contact with the surface of a heated body, maintained at a temperature of from approximately 200.degree. to 400.degree. C., in an oxidizing gaseous atmosphere thereby to be oxidized. The oxidized fibers can then be heated in a non-oxidizing gaseous atmosphere maintained at a temperature of at least approximately 800.degree. C. to produce carbon fibers, if desired. The improvement resides in that an interlaced filament yarn is used as the precursor fibers, which yarn substantially has no crimps or loops and is comprised of continuous filaments entangled with each other along the longitudinal direction thereof to an extent such that the coherency factor of the yarn is in the range of from approximately 20 to 100.