Mathematical modelling for better yarn production

Personnel: Dr Barrie Fraser, Dr Jim Clark, Professors T.K. Ghosh and S.K. Batra, at North Carolina State University, College of Textiles, Professor C.D. Rahn, Clemson University, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson SC, (Now at Penn State University, State College PA.), Associate Professor Xungai Wang, of Deakin University

The desire of wool and cotton yarn producers to increase productivity of high quality ring-spun yarns has meant that this machinery is being run at higher and higher spindle speeds. This in turn has lead to the need to create a detailed and realistic mathematical model and computer simulation of the ring spinning process in order to assist industry optimise their use of ring spinning machinery.

Since 1992 at Sydney University I have undertaken this modelling project which has lead to a greatly improved simulation of this process, and has greatly enhanced our understanding of the highly nonlinear process of yarn balloon formation on ring spindles.

In the next stage of this on going project (to be undertaken with A/Prof Xungai Wang, of Deakin University) we are modifying this model to allow for more accurate calculation of the power comnsummed at various steps in the ring-spinning process. Of particular interest here is the quantifiction and accurate estimation of the power consumed by air-drag on the yarn balloon. This will enable us to acess the economic value of adding yarn smoothing devices that reduce airdarg to existing ring spindles. At every step of the project our models and simulations have been subject ot experimental verification on actual ring-spinning and other yarn manufacturing machinery and testing equipment. This project has been sponsored by a number of ARC large and small grants.