YARN FAULTS AND CLEARING

It is still not possible to produce a yarn without faults for various reasons.

Fly liberation in Ring frame department is the major reasons for short faults
in the yarn because of the fly gets spun into the yarn. Hence it is not possible to
have fault free yarn from ring spinning, it is necessary to have yarn monitoring
system in the last production process of the spinning mill.

Depending upon the raw material, the machinery set up, production and process
parameters, there are about 20 to 100 faults over a length of 100 km yarn which
do not correspond to the desired appearance of the yarn. This means that
the yarn exhibits a yarn fault every 1 to 5 km. These faults are thick and thin
faults, foreign fibres and dirty places in the yarn.

Faults in fabric due to yarn: 1) Neps 2) short thick 3) long thick 4) long thin 5)
hairiness 6) count variation 7) contamination 8) splice fault 9) periodic fault 10)

1) Neps: This types of faults are extremely very short (a few mm) and
extremely thick (several times of the base diameter).

Neps is generated during ginning and processing time. Neps is 3

types

1) Process neps,

2) Biological neps and

3) SCN.

2) Short thick places are those faults which are not longer than
approximately 8 cms, but have a cross-sectional size approx. twice
that of the yarn. These faults are relatively frequent in all spun
yarns. (D : 1.8-3.8 of base dia, L : 0.5 to 10 cm) . Thick place is
generated around 50 % due to fly generated in process mainly in
ring section. Optimum setting can prevent thick place.

3) Long thick places are much more seldom-occurring than the short
thick places and usually have a length longer than 40cms. In some
cases, their length can even reach many meters. Their cross

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 sectional size approx. + 40% to +100% and more with respect of
the mean cross-section of the yarn. (D : 1.2-1.8 times of base dia
and L: 5 – 200 cm)
4) Thin places occur in two length groups. Short thin places are
known as imperfections, and have a length approx. three times the
mean staple length of the fibre. Their frequency is dependent on
the raw material and the setting of the drafting element. They are
too frequent in the yarn to be extracted by means of the electronic
yarn clearing. Long thin places have lengths of approx. 40cms and
longer and a cross-sectional decrease with respect to the mean yarn
cross-section of approx.30 to 70%. They are relatively seldom-
occurring in short staple yarns, but much more frequently-
occurring in long staple yarns. Long thin faults are difficult to
determine in the yarn by means of the naked eye. Their effect in
the finished product however, can be extremely serious. It is
generated excess drafting in process.

The yarn faults are classified according to their length and cross-sectional size,
and this in 23 classes.

FIG: CLASSIMAT FAULTS:

• The cross-sectional deviations are given +% or -% values. i.e. the upper

limit, respectively, lower limit with respect to the mean yarn fault cross-
section is measure in %. The fault length is measured in cms.

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FIG: YARN CLEARING CONCEPT OF USTER QUANTUM CLEARER

N – NEPS, S- SHORT FAULTS, L-LONG FAULTS, CCP - COARSE

COUNTS, CCM-FINE COUNTS

The classes and their limits are set out according to the following:

• Short thick place faults: 16 classes with the limits, 0.1 cm, 2cm, 4cm, and
8cm for the lengths and +100%, +150%,+250%, and +400% for the
cross-sectional sizes are provided. The classes are indicated A1...D4. The
classes A4, B4, C4, D4 contain all those faults, according to their length,
whose cross-sectional size oversteps +400%.

• Spinners doubles: This refers to a class (with the indication E) for faults
whose length oversteps 8cms and whose cross-sectional size oversteps
+100 ( open to the right and upwards)

• Long thick place faults and thick ends: The long thin place faults are
contained in 4 classes with the limits 8 cms and 32 cms for the lengths,
and -30% , -45% and -75% for the cross-sectional sizes. The classes are
designated H1.....I2. The classes I1 and I2 are open to the right i.e. they
contain all those thin places having a size between -30 and -45%,
respectively, -45% and -75% and whose lengths are longer than 32 cms.

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 The classification of the shorter thin places is of no advantage in the
analysis of the seldom-occurring faults.

# Total clearer cut should be 70-100 per 100 km (as small sa better)

# Splice less strength about 20% - 25 % of parent yarn

# Hairiness increases 20% - 25 % in winding machine

# Each splice two neps are generated

# In loepfe, specific co-ordinate setting can not possible, to cut a particular

point, the whole curb setting need to change which is possible in Uster
quantum.

# In loepfe, due to hairiness dia diff. setting say 10% for 30 count setting is
required. Scanning is done outside of the 10% fine and course side.

# for foreign cut no base cure is available. Only class cut is there.

# No PP (white) clearing system is available. If we want to clear white PP

setting need to close in such a way that total cut will be very high so machine
efficiency will be low.

# Surface index (SFI) fault are optional part of Yarn Clearer System but we
don’t have

Types of Electronic Yarn Clearers

Electronic Yarn Clearers available in the market are principally of two types –
capacitive and optical. Clearers working on the capacitive principle have ‘
mass’ as the reference for performing its functions while optical clearers
function with ‘ diameter’ as the reference. Both have their merits and demerits
and are equally popular in the textile industry. Besides the above basic
difference in measuring principle, the bases of functioning of both the types of
clearers are similar if not exactly same. Since most of the other textile
measurements like, U% / CV%, thick and thin places etc., in various
departments take into account mass as the reference parameter, the functioning
of the capacitive clearer is explained in some detail in the following sections.

Functioning Principle

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 A) Capacitive Type: The yarn is measured in a measuring field
constituted by a set of parallel placed capacitor plates. When the
yarn passes through this measuring field (between the capacitor
plates), an electrical signal is produced which is proportional to the
change in mass per unit length of the yarn. This signal is amplified
and fed to the evaluation channels of the yarn clearing installation.
The number and type of evaluation channels available are
dependent on the sophistication and features of the model of the
clearer in use. Each of the channels reacts to the signals for the
corresponding type of yarn fault. When the mass per unit length of
the yarn exceeds the threshold limit set for the channel, the cutting
device of the yarn clearer cuts the yarn. Most of the lab machines
are working this principle.
B) Optical type: A light is passing through the measuring yarn from a
light source. The yarn absorb some percentage of Light and the rest
of passes through the yarn and the difference of absorbance is
measured which indicated the diameter of the measured yarn.

Advantage:

1) in high RH difference system is less affected.

2) This is also less sensitive compared with capacitative system

3) Cut is very flexible i.e. particular fault can be removed by

specific setting.

Disadvantage:

1) Some times hairiness is treated as fault and cut excessive the

measuring head.

Yarn Clearer Settings

The yarn clearer has to be provided with certain basic information in order to
obtain the expected results in terms of clearing objectionable faults. The
following are some of them -

a. Clearing Limit: The clearing limit defines the threshold level for the yarn
faults, beyond which the cutter is activated to remove the yarn fault. The

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clearing limit consists of two setting parameters - Sensitivity and Reference
Length.

i. Sensitivity - This determines the activating limit for the fault cross sectional
size.

ii. Reference Length – This defines the length of the yarn over which the fault
cross – section is to be measured. Both the above parameters can be set within a
wide range of limits depending on specific yarn clearing requirements. Here, it
is worth mentioning that the ‘reference length’ may be lower or higher than the
actual ‘fault length’. For a yarn fault to be cut, the mean value of the yarn fault
cross-section has to overstep the set sensitivity for the set reference length.

b. Yarn Count :

The setting of the yarn count provides a clearer with the basic information on
the mean value of the material being processed to which the clearer compares
the instantaneous yarn signals for identifying the seriousness of a fault.

d. Winding Speed:

The setting of the winding speed is also very critical for accurate removal of
faults. It is recommended that, instead of the machine speed, the delivery speed
be set by actual calculation after running the yarn for 2-3 minutes and checking
the length of yarn delivered. Setting a higher speed than the actual is likely to
result in higher number of cuts. Similarly a lower speed setting relative to the
actual causes less cuts with some faults escaping without being cut. In most of
the modern day clearers, the count, material number and speeds are monitored
and automatically corrected during actual running of the yarn.

Fault Channels:

The various fault channels available in a latest generation yarn clearer are as
follows:

1. Short Thick places

2. Long Thick Places

3. Long Thin Places

4. Neps

5. Count

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6. Splice

7. Hairiness

The availability of one or more of the above channels is dependent on the type
of the yarn clearer. Most of the modern clearers have the above channels.
Besides detection of the various types of faults, with latest clearers, it is also
possible to detect concentration of faults in a specific length of yarn by means
of alarms (cluster faults).

Production of winding machine:

It depends upon the following factors

• Winding speed
• Time required by the machine to carry out one splicing operation
• Bobbin length per bobbin (both bobbin weight and tpi to be considered,
because TPI will affect the bobbin length). This decides the number of
bobbin changes
• The number of faults in the yarn and the clearer settings, this decides the
clearer cuts
• Yarn count
• The number of doffs. It depends upon the doff weight. Higher the doff
weight, lower the number of doffs
• The time taken for each doff either by the doffer or by an operator
• Down time due to red light. It depends upon, number of red lights,
number of repeaters setting for red lights, clearer settings like off count
channel, cluster setting which will result in red lights and others
• Bobbin rejections, it depends on weak yarn, wrong gaiting, double
gaiting, bobbin characteristics etc.

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WINDING PACKAGE DEFECTS:

Following are some of the package defects which will result in complaints

• Yarn waste in the cones. This is due to loose yarn ends that are wound on
to the cone
• Stitch, drop over, web: Yarn is visible on the small or on the big side of
the cone either across the side , around the tube, or going back in the cone
• Damaged edges or broken ends on the cone: The yarn is broken on the
edges or in the middle of the cone.
• Ring formation: The yarn runs in belt formation on to the package,
because it is misguided
• Without transfer tail: The desired transfer tail is missing or too short
• Ribbon formation: Pattern or ring formation are made by the drum when
rpm are staying the same
• Displaced yarn layers: yarn layers are disturbed and are sliding towards
the small diameter of the cone
• Misguided yarn : The yarn is not equally guided over the hole package
• Cauliflower: On the smaller side of the package, the yarn shows a
wrinkle effect
• Soft and Hard yarn layer: Some layer of yarn are pushed out on the small
side of the cone
• Soft and Hard cones: Great difference in package density from one
winder head to another

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