Introduction to Textile and Textile fiber

Md. Shahabul Hossen

Lecturer
Department of Textile Engineering
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University
(MBSTU), Tangail, Bangladesh.
 Textiles
The word textile is derived from the Latin
Textiles are any filament, fiber, term textilis, which means “woven". Now
or yarn that can be made into fabric or the word textiles encompasses materials
cloth, and the resulting material itself. used to make fabrics and fabrics
themselves.

Fiber Yarn Grey Fabric Dyed/printed Garments

Fabrics

They are in our clothes, our furniture, our

carpets and our bedding
Fiber vs Textile fiber Fiber

A fiber is one of the fine, hairy parts of a plant or

animal's tissues, which are very small in diameter.

All fibers are not textile fiber

The term “textile fiber” means a unit of matter

Textile fibers must have certain properties:
which is capable of being spun into a yarn or
• Sufficient length to width ratio (Thin)
made into a fabric by bonding or by interlacing
• Sufficient cohesiveness
in a variety of methods including weaving,
• Sufficient strength/tenacity
knitting, braiding, felting, twisting, or
• Flexible
webbing.

Fiber but not textile fiber: Textile fibers:

• Banana fiber • Cotton fiber
• Jute fiber
• Polyester
• Nylon
Classification of Fiber:
Textile Fiber

Natural Fiber Man-made Fiber

Natural Polymer/
Mineral Fiber Other man-made
Vegetable Fiber Animal Fiber Regenerated Synthetic Fiber
(Asbestos) Fiber
Fiber

Seed(Cotton,
Hair(Wool) Viscose Rayon Polyester Metallic Fiber
Kapok)

Bast(Flax, Hemp,
Secretion (Silk) Acetate Rayon Polyvinyl, Acrylic Glass Fiber
Jute, Ramie)

Leaf(Abaca, Sisal,
Alginate Nylon Carbon Fiber
Manial Hemp)

Fruit (Coir) Lyocell

 Cotton Tri-Acetate

Natural Cellulose Regenerated Cellulose

 Primary properties for textile fiber:

➢Length to width ratio

➢Tenacity
➢Cohesiveness or spinning quality
➢Flexibility
 Length to width ratio:

➢ Ratio between the length and width of a textile fiber

➢ The textile fiber should be sufficiently long then it's

width

➢ The minimum ratio is 100:1

➢ This means that the measure of the length should be

at least 100 times more then the measure of it's width
 Tenacity

➢ Tenacity refers to the strength of the fiber.

➢ A fiber should have adequate strength so as to undergo the stress and strain
encounter during yarn manufacturing process.

➢ Every textile fiber possesses varying levels of strength. Some possess higher strength
and some possess lower.

➢ Also the strength of textile fibers varies in the dry state and wet state
 Spinning quality or cohesiveness
➢ Spinning quality or cohesiveness is the ability of the fiber
to stick together during yarn manufacturing processes.

➢ Spinning quality refers to filament fibers.

➢ Cohesiveness refers to staple fibers.

Cohesiveness

Staple fiber exemplify cohesiveness or stickiness in different ways.

Example:

Cotton fiber
Wool fiber
➢ Cotton fibers exhibit it's cohesiveness by it's
➢ The longitudinal structure of wool fiber has
cross sectional structure.
serrated edges resembling a pine tree.
➢ Its cross sectional structure is kidney shaped
➢ With the help of these serrations one fiber
because of it's convolution
entangles into the other ,thus stick together
➢ The kidney shaped structure of a cotton fiber
during yarn manufacturing
enables it to adhere to or fit into another fiber,
thus sticking together during yarn
manufacturing.
 Flexibility

➢ Flexibility is the ability of a fiber to bend without breaking

during yarn manufacturing or during the regular wear and tear
of the fiber in its end use.

➢ Textile fiber must be pliable, only then they can be spun the
other fibers

➢ Many substance in nature resemble fibrous forms, but can not

be practical textile fibers because they are stiff and brittle
 Spinning
Spinning is the process of taking textile fibers
and filaments and making them into yarn.

Short staple spinning: fibers between two 0.5 to 2.5 inches in length

Short and long

staple spinning
Cotton fiber Cotton yarn
for natural fiber

Long staple spinning: Fibers length greater than 2.5 inch

Jute yarn
Jute fiber
Filament spinning
Filament spinning: Polymer chip for manmade fiber

Polymer chip Filament yarn

Cotton spinning and its principle

Two main stage of cotton spinning

1. Drafting: Reduction of thickness

2. Twisting: Impart strength,

prevention further fiber slippage
 Flexibility
➢ Flexibility is the ability of a fiber to bend without breaking during yarn
manufacturing or during the regular wear and tear of the fiber in its end use.

➢ Textile fiber must be pliable, only then they can be spun the other fibers

➢ Many substance in nature resemble fibrous forms, but can not be practical
textile fibers because they are stiff and brittle

Uniformity
To make a good quality yarn ,every textile fiber must have
uniformity in their properties. Synthetic fibers are far more
uniform than natural fiber. Uniformity is inherently difficult to
achieve in natural fiber. Thus must fiber are blended to
achieve uniformity
 Lecture 2

Characteristics of cotton fiber

Md. Shahabul Hossen

Lecturer,
Department of Textile Engineering
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University
 Importance of raw cotton characteristics

➢ Raw material represents about 50-75% of the manufacturing cost

➢ Raw material accounts for about 80-90% of the yarn quality

Properties of cotton fiber considered by a cotton spinners

▪ Fiber fineness
▪ Staple length
▪ Length uniformity
▪ Fiber maturity
▪ Fiber strength
▪ Fiber elongation
▪ Short Fiber Index
▪ Color grade
▪ Fiber cleanness
 Fiber fineness
➢ The fineness determines how many fibers are present in the cross-section of a yarn of given
thickness.
➢ It is expressed as micronaire value. Micronaire defines as the weight of one inch of fiber in
microgram, i.e., microgram/inch.

The finer fibre The higher the number of fibre in yarn cross

Yarn cross-section
Reduce the yarn irregularity.

The greater the total surface are available for inter fibre contact Measuring unit: Micronaire value (Mic. value)
to provide the necessary cohesion + less twist required. Micronaire value= (Weight in μ gm/ Length in
inch)

Micronaire Fineness Finer fibers produce finer count of yarn and it helps
Below 3 very fine to produce stronger yarn.
3.0 to 3.9 fine
4.0 to 4.9 medium
5.0 to 5.9 coarse
6.0 and above very coarse
 Staple length
The average length of spinnable fiber is called staple length.
Finer count of yarn is produced from the fiber of higher length.

Impact of fiber length on yarn production and quality:

1.Yarn strength: Short staple fibers reduces yarn strength.

2.Productivity: Long staple fibers increase production and quality.
Higher amount of short staple fibers will influence fiber end breakage,
increases the quality of waste, increases the quality and production.
3.Yarn Hairiness: Shorter staple fibers will leads to yarn hairiness.
4.Yarn evenness: Shorter stable fibers will leads to yarn unevenness.
5.Spinning limit.
6.Handle of the product.
Types of staple length:
7.Luster of the product.
Types Length
Short staple 1” or less
Medium staple 1-1/32” to 1-1/8”
Long staple 1-5/32” to 1-3/8”
Extra long staple 1-13/32” and above
 Length Uniformity
It is measured variation of length i.e. how much
uniform distribution of fibre lengths

There are two popular measures of length ➢ Like staple length, length uniformity affects
uniformity in a cotton sample: yarn strength and evenness.
➢ It also affects the efficiency of the spinning
•Uniformity Ratio(UR) process.
•Uniformity Index(UI) ➢ Cotton with a low length uniformity index has
a high variance in fiber length which can make
50% Span Length
UR = 100% processing difficult and ultimately result in
2.5% Span Length lower-quality yarn
Mean Length lower the variation in this length distribution, the
UI = 100%
Upper half mean length higher the length uniformity index.
 Fiber maturity
➢ The maturity of cotton fiber is defined in terms of the development of the cell wall.
➢ A fully mature fiber has a well developed thick cell wall
➢ An immature fiber has a very thin cell wall.
➢ Mature fiber gives better evenness of yarn and less end breakage.

(Area of cell wall)

Maturity ratio =
(Area of full circle)

Problems due to immature fibers:

Maturity Ratio Rating
- Neppiness
- High production of short fibers Below 0.75 Uncommon
- Loss of yarn strength
- Processing difficulties mainly at the carding 0.76-0.85 Immature
- Varying dye ability 0.86-0.95 Mature
Mature fibre→ Dye absorb↑
Immature fibre→ Dye absorb↓
Above 0.95 Very Mature
 Fiber strength

➢ Stronger fiber gives stronger yarn. Strength (GPT) Rating

Below 21 very weak
Fibre strength↑→ Yarn & Fabric strength.↑ 22-24 weak
25-27 medium
➢ Due to stronger fibers, higher productivity can be achieved 28-30 strong
with less end breakage. 31 and above very strong

➢ Very weak cottons tend to rupture during processing both in

blow room and carding, creating short fibres and
consequently deteriorate yarn strength and uniformity. Selected:
Rotor yarn: 28 GPT
➢ It is expressed as gram/tex (GPT). Medium yarn count: 28-30
Finer count: 31 and above
 Fiber elongation

➢ Measurement of elastic behavior of fiber

➢ Better elongation reduce end breakage in spinning
➢ Better elongation increased higher productivity with
low wastage of raw material
➢ It is expressed as percentage (%)

Elongation% Rating
Below 5 very low
5.0-5.8 low
5.9-6.7 medium
6.8-7.6 high
7.7 & above very high
 Short Fiber Index

➢ An indication of the amount of fibers in SFI Rating

percentage that are less than 0.5 inch or 12.7 mm Below 6 very low
in length. 6-9 low
10-13 medium
➢ If SFI is more, yarn hairiness will be more. 14-17 high
18 and above very high
 Fiber cleanness

Different impurities:
Disturbance due to impurities
In addition to usable fibres, cotton stock contains
foreign matter of various kinds: ➢ Metal parts can cause fire or damage of card
cloth
Vegetable matter:
➢ Vegetable matters make disturbance in
Husk portions drafting.
Seed fragments ➢ Vegetable matters jam the carding pin.
Stem fragments ➢ Mineral matters decay the rolling parts of
Leaf fragments machine.
Wood fragments
Mineral material:
Earth Trash % Fiber Quality
Sand, dust, coal
Other foreign matters: Up to 1.2% Very clean.
1.2%-2.0% Clean.
Metal fragments
2.0%-4.0% Medium Clean.
Cloth fragments 4.0%-7.0% Dirty.
Packing materials 7.0% above Very Dirty.
 Contribution of fiber properties on yarn quality

Fibre Properties Contribution (%)

For Ring Yarn For Rotor Yarn

1.Fibre length 22% 12%

2.Fibre uniformity 20% 17%

3. Fibre strength 20% 24%

4. Fibre elongation 05% 08%

5. Fibre fineness 15% 14%

6. Fibre cleanliness 03% 06%

7. Other 15% 19%

 Lecture 3

Blowroom

Md. Shahabul Hossen

Lecturer,
Department of Textile Engineering
Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University
 Spinning
Spinning is the process of taking textile fibers
and filaments and making them into yarn.

Short staple spinning: fibers between two 0.5 to 2.5 inches in length

Short and long

staple spinning
Cotton fiber Cotton yarn
for natural fiber

Long staple spinning: Fibers length greater than 2.5 inch

Jute yarn
Jute fiber
Filament spinning
Filament spinning: Polymer chip for manmade fiber

Polymer chip Filament yarn

 Short staple spinning

Cotton spinning process and machinery

Importance of raw cotton characteristics Properties of cotton fiber considered by a cotton spinners
▪ Fiber fineness
➢ Raw material represents about 50-75% of the manufacturing cost
▪ Staple length
➢ Raw material accounts for about 80-90% of the yarn quality ▪ Length uniformity
▪ Fiber maturity
▪ Fiber strength
▪ Fiber elongation
▪ Short Fiber Index
▪ Color grade
▪ Fiber cleanness
 Flowchart of combed yarn manufacturing process
Input Process/ Machine Output
Bale management
↓
Fiber → Blow room → Lap/Chute feed
↓
Lap/Chute feed → Carding m/c → Carded sliver Fiber Lap
↓
Sliver
Sliver → Pre-comb drawing → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Lap former → Lap
↓
Lap → Combing → Combed sliver
↓
Sliver → Post-comb drawing → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Simplex/Speed → Roving
Sliver
frame/Roving
frame
↓
Roving → Ring Frame → Yarn (Ring Cops)
↓
Yarn (Ring cops) → Auto cone → Yarn (Package form)
↓
Yarn (Package → Heat Setting → Heat-setted yarn
Yarn (Ring Cops) Roving
form) (Package form) Cone
↓
Heat-setted yarn → Packing → Finished Bag
(Package form)
 Flowchart of carded yarn manufacturing process

Input Process/ Machine Output

Bale management
↓
Fiber → Blow room → Lap/Chute feed
↓
Lap/Chute feed → Carding m/c → Carded sliver Sliver
Fiber
↓
Sliver → Breaker draw frame → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Finisher draw frame → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Simplex/Speed → Roving
frame/Roving frame
↓ Roving
Roving → Ring Frame → Yarn (Ring Cops)
↓
Yarn (Ring cops) → Auto cone → Yarn (Package form)
↓
Yarn (Package → Heat Setting → Heat-setted yarn
form) (Package form)
↓
Heat-setted yarn → Packing → Finished Bag Cone Yarn (Ring Cops)
(Package form)
 Flowchart of rotor yarn manufacturing process

Input Process/ Machine Output

Bale management
↓
Fiber → Blow room → Lap/Chute
Fiber
↓
Lap/Chute → Carding m/c → Carded sliver
↓
Sliver → Breaker draw frame → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Finisher draw frame → Drawn sliver
↓
Sliver → Rotor → Yarn (Cone or cheese
form) Sliver
↓
Yarn (Package → Heat Setting → Heat-setted yarn
form) (Package form)
↓
Heat-setted yarn → Packing → Finished Bag
(Package form)

Cone
 Bale management
Testing, sorting & mixing of bales according to properties of
fiber for producing specific good quality yarn at minimum
cost is called “Bale management”.

Objects of bale management:

• To obtain required quality of yarn.

• Bale management is done to reduce raw material cost.
• Bale management is done to achieve uniform quality of yarn.
• Bale management is done to control or reduce fabric barre.
• Bale management helps to provide the desired properties of the final product.
• Helps to reduce shade variation of the finished fabric.
• It has done to compensate for the variation in properties of the raw materials. Cotton Bale
• Bale management helps to meet the functional and end use requirements.
3 Steps of Bale Management:

1.Testing: The samples are collected from 100% bales and tested in HVI (High
Volume Instrument)

2.Sorting: The bales (sample) are sorted according to mic & color grade values.
Then, the sorted bales are arranged according to properties.

3.Mixing: The mixing plan (lay–down plan) is prepared by maintaining almost the
same average mic value in every cross-section. Then, the bales are mixed
according to the mixing plan.
Mixing & Blending
Mixing: If different grade of same fibers are kept together, then it is called mixing.

Example: 50% of 1.5” staple length of cotton + 50% of 2” staple length of cotton

Blending: When different fibers of same or different grades are kept together, then it is called blending.

Example: 65% cotton fiber + 35% polyester fiber

Objects of blending:
• To achieve uniform quality.
• To improve processing performance.
• To reduce and control of production cost.
• To meet function and end used requirement.
• Aesthetic i.e. Fashion, texture, drape luster etc.
• To give the required characteristics to the end product.
Process stage of blending Type: Types of Blending operation:

Blending type Process stage

Bale mixing Before the blow room

Flock mixing Within the blow room
Lap ,, Using doubling scutchers
Web ,, At the ribbon lap m/c or
the blending draw frame
Sliver ,, At the draw frame & sliver
Lap or the comber
Fibre ,, At the card or Rotor spgn m/c
Roving ,, At the ring spgn m/c
 What is Blow room?

▪ Blow room is the first and foremost stage in the spinning process.
▪ As all the processes in this stage are carried out with air flow, for that it is called Blow room.
▪ Blow room consist of series of machines which is to open, clean, and mixing the cotton tufts.

Objectives/Functions of Blow room:

1. To open the compressed bale of fibers into small tufts with minimum damage to the fibers.
2. To remove the impurities like seeds, seed coats, leaf, sand etc.
3. To mix thoroughly different component of fibers.
4. To remove micro dust.
5. To convert mass of cotton fibers into a uniform thick sheet of cotton lap or to chute feed system.
6. To recover the waste produced in various processes.
 Basic Operations in Blow room:
1. Opening:
•To open the compressed cotton bales.
•To reduce the cotton tuft size to as tiny as possible.

2. Cleaning:
•To Remove the dust particles like plastic particles, seeds, dried leaf, stems
and other vegetable matter and foreign matter.
•To remove the metal objects, present in the bales.

3. Mixing & Blending:

•To reduce the production cost as well as to obtain good quality of yarn
mixing and Blending of different classes of cotton is needed to do.

4. Dust Removal
• To remove micr-odust particle from fiber

5. Even Feed of Material to the Card:

•To Feed the cotton flacks at constant rate to carding machine
 Function Trutzschler blow room Rieter blow
Machines of blow room line: line room line
Bale opener Bale breaking and opening Blendomat(BDT) Uniflock

↓ ↓
Removing metal parts and SP-EM Metal and fire
Fire causing parts detector
↓ ↓

Pre-cleaner Opening the fiber tuft to CL-P (Pre Cleaner) Uniclean

smallest size and cleaning
the tuft by removing bigger
size of trash
↓ ↓
Mixer Homogeneous and intimate MX-U (Multimixer) Unimix
mixing of fiber

↓
Opening the fiber tuft to CL-C3 ↓
smallest size and cleaning
the tuft by removing smallest
size of trash
↓
Removing foreign particles Jossi (Vision shield)
such as polyethene, plastics,
colored materials, ropes,
paper etc.
↓

Fine cleaner Removing fine particle like SP-DX Uniflex

micro-dust, sand etc.
 Video Link

https://youtu.be/v4eNlIAjPRI?si=s8QCcSGI7dRdTUHQ
https://youtu.be/vvfiIhZrMtI?si=eU3j6P_09Jd7g2Yf
https://youtu.be/2Xr-SfGThq0?si=6a5DD_sJZCnffSGJ
https://youtu.be/3lH19XNVmvs?si=TKvg7pvq4GrbOGuX
https://youtu.be/0SUxEOqOzZc?si=MHD1-7yglU_5BrQF
Action in blow room:
The actions of the machines in any blow room range fall into one or more of four main groups
namely:
1. Action of opposite spike: (opening)
The action of opposite spikes is opening the cotton fiber. By this action, the large pieces of
cottons have been reduced in size.
2. Action of Air current: (Transport + Cleaning)
During processing, the movement of cotton from machines to machine is done by air current. It
also helps the separation of lint and trash.
3. Action of Beaters: (Cleaning & Opening)
Beaters are responsible for removing almost all of the impurity extracted in the blow room.
Beater also helps in opening of cotton fiber.
4. Action of regulating motion: (Uniform output)
The action of regulating motion gives the uniform output of cotton fiber.

Beaters Used in Blow Room Machine:

1. Porcupine:
Function:
• Good opening beater
• Considered most suitable for long staple cotton.
• The strikers are arranged at different angles to cover the total width of the
m/c in one revolution of the beater.
• Revolution per minute of beater 750-960.
• To separate the fibers by striker.
• To clean the fibers

2. Bladed beater: Multiple bladed beaters are two types:

1) Two bladed beater
2) Three bladed beater
1. Two bladed beater:
• Two blades are arranged in both sides and equal distance of shaft.
 • Revolution per minute 800-850.
• To clean broken seeds or heavy impurities of fibers.

2. Three bladed beaters:

• Similar to two bladed beater
• Three blades arranged in equal distance of shaft

• Clean darts like two bladed beater but are more effective
• RPM of three blades beater 850-940.
3. Kirschner beater or beater with pinned bars:
• It consists of three-armed “Spiders” mounted on a shaft, well-pointed, steel pins arranged in
staggered formation to ensure adequate combing of cotton.
• Efficient cleaner.

• Exclusively used for MMF Production.

• RPM of K. B is 750-850.
 • To change cleaning efficiency due to changes setting of Beaters and grid bars.

Opening Device:
Types of grid bar:
➢ Slotted sheets(a): poor cleaning.
➢ Perforated sheets(b): poor cleaning.
➢ Triangular section bars(c): the most widely used grid bars.
➢ Angle bars(d): some what weak.
➢ Blades(e): strong and effective.
Control of waste and setting for waste or effect for wider setting and
closer setting of beater to grid bar and grid bar to grid bar:

For wider setting:

1. Grid bar to grid bar: Good fiber will loss, cleaning efficiency will increase
2. Beater to grid bar: Trash will less remove,
This setting is suitable for long staple cotton.

For closer setting:

1. Grid bar to grid bar: Good fiber loss will less, cleaning efficiency will decrease
 2. Beater to Grid bar: Trash will more remove
This setting is suitable for low grade yarn cotton.

Cleaning Efficiency:
Cleaning efficiency of the machine is the ratio of the trash removed by the machine to that of
total trash fed to the machine, expressed as percentage.

𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑠ℎ % 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛 − 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑠ℎ% 𝑖𝑛 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛

𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = ∗ 100
𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑠ℎ % 𝑖𝑛 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛
Let,
Total wt. of fiber in a lay down = 20,000 kg (100 bales)

Trash = 4% of total wt. = 800 kg

Trash = 1.2% after cleaning = 240kg
Trash removed = 2.8 % of total wt. = 560 kg

So, cleaning efficiency will be 70 % according to the formula.

How much trash are removed?

How cleaning efficiency in blowroom line?
60-80% trashes are removed in blowroom line. So cleaning efficiency is 60-80%.

Types of waste in blowroom:

• Dropping
• Seeds,
• Dust, Dirt
• Floor sweep

Factors influencing cleaning efficiency of blowroom line:

1. Space between grid bar to grid bar: Closer ……Cleaning efficiency

Wider…… Cleaning efficiency

2. Space between beater to grid bar: Closer ……Cleaning efficiency

Wider…… Cleaning efficiency

3. Beater Speed: Increase…… Cleaning efficiency

Basic Parameters to be Considered in Blowroom:
1. No. of opening machine

2. Types of beater

3. Beater speed

4. Production rate of individual machine

5. Fiber micronaire

6. Size of the flocks in the feed

7. Type of grid and grid setting

8. Position of the machine in the sequence

9. Amount of trash in the material

10. Temperature and relative humidity in the blow room

Should be know: Blow room machinery lay out should be designed in such a way that there

should be minimum number of bends, and there should not be sharp bends to avoid fibre

entanglements. fibre travelling surface should be smooth and clean

Temperature and relative humidity: temperature should be around 30 degrees and the

humidity is around 55 to 60%.

Lap feed System:

Lap Feed Demerits:

1. Stoppage due to lap changes.

2. Extra labor for lap transportation
3. Compression of fibers in the lap poses problem during opening in carding.
4. More wastes due to lap tails and damages.
5. Irregularity of sliver weight due to improper unwinding of laps.

Chute feed system:

A chute feed system in a blowroom is a pneumatic pipe system that feeds small tufts of fibers

from the blowroom to a series of cards.

Chute Feed Merits:

1. Direct automatic feed to card increases B/R working efficiency.

2. Elimination of Man power during scutcher operation.
3. Processing of rejected lap is avoided.
4. Due to loose form of feeding of fibers trash particles can be removed easily during
carding.
 Carding
Carding:
Carding may be defined as the reduction of an entangled mass of fibres to a
filmy web by working between two closely spaced, relatively moving surface
clothed with sharp wire points.
The carding is the heart of the spinning mill & well carded is half-spun-
demonstrate the immense significance of carding for the final result of the
spinning operation. The importance of carding is still greater where new
spinning systems are concerned.

Fiber Sliver

Function/objective of carding:
Why carding is called heart of spinning?

Opening to individual fibres: The blow room only opens the raw mtl to flocks
where as the card opens it to the stage of individual fibres.

Elimination of impurities & dust: Elimination of foreign mtl occurs mainly

in the region of the taker in (T-in). In addition to free dust, which can be directly
sucked away as in the B/R, the card also removes a large proportion of the
micro particles. The card is a good dust removing m/c.

Removing of neps: The card reduces the no. of neps from the B/R. An
improvement in disentangling of neps is obtained by: closer spacing between
the clothing, sharper clothing; optimal speeds of the T-in; low doffer speeds
lower through put.
 Elimination of short fibres: Short fibres can only be eliminated if they are
passed into the clothing. Elimination of short fibres in the card must be viewed
in proportion, actually very small, fewer than 1% short fibres.

Fibre blending: The card is the only m/c to process individual fibres. In
formation of the web & with repeated rotation of the fibres on the main cylinder,
intimate fibre with fibre mixing is achieved.

Fibre orientation: It is often attribute the effect of parallelizing. The card can
be given the task of creating partial longitudinal orientation of the fibres.

Sliver formation: To deposit the fibre mtl, to transport it & process it further,
an appropriate product must be formed.
So, carding is called heart of spinning.

Revolving flat card:

Figure: Diagram of revolving flat card

 Figure: Diagram of revolving flat card

Machine parts of revolving flat card:

1. Feed roller
2. Licker-in or Taker-in
3. Cylinder
 4. Revolving flats
5. Doffer
6. Front Stationary flats
7. Back stationary flats
8. Trumpet
9. Calendar roller
10.Mote knives
11.Sliver
12.Can
13.Cylinder under caging

Specification of revolving flat card:

• Revolving flats 84 pcs
• Front Stationary flats 12 pcs
• Back stationary flats 6 pcs
Total flats: 102 pcs
In action: 30% i.e. 102*0.3= 31 pcs
• Licker-in or Taker-in i) Diameter → 9 − 9.5
ii) Speed → 300-600 r.p.m.
iii) Wire point direction →
Anticlockwise.
iv) Surface speed → 1000ft/min.

• Cylinder i) Diameter → 50 (1280mm)

i) Speed → 250-500 r.p.m.
ii) Wire point per square inch → 550-
650
iii) Surface speed → 2000ft/min.
iv) Total wire point per cylinder →
30lac.
v) Wire point direction → Clock-wise.

• Flat speed i) Wire point direction → Clockwise.

ii) Surface speed → 2-7 inch/min.

• Doffer speed i) Diameter → 27

 i) Speed → 30-100 r.p.m.
i) Wire point per square inch → 550-
650
ii) Surface speed → 50  27  
inch/min.

• Draft 100+10
• Production 80kgs/hr

Function of Licker-in/Taker-in:
i) Unwind the lap continuous feed with uncontrolled stretching.
ii) To eliminate the impurities.
iii) To transfer the fibres as evenly as possible.
iv) To perform the primary cleaning & opening of cotton fibre.

Function of cylinder and flat:

i) To open the flocks to individual fibres.

ii) Eliminate of remaining impurities.

iii) To eliminate some short fibres.

iv) To remove dust.

v) To disentangle of neps

vi) High degree of longitudinal orientation of fibre.

Function of doffer:
i) To collect the individual fibre from the cylinder and condense them into a
web.
Card clothing:
In carding m/c, different parts (i.e. T-in, Cylinder, Doffer & flats) are covered with
different types of wire which are known as card clothing. To cover the surface of
T-in, Cylinder, doffer & flat of carding m/c with the help of a number of unlimited
fine, closely spaced & specially bented wire is called card clothing. The wire
points are inserted on the m/c surface by means of a base mtl or foundation. Base
mtl may be of textile fabric or may be of some other mtl which is very hard & stiff.

Grinding:
The process of increasing sharpness of the wire points such as cylinder wire, flats
wire, and doffer wire is called grinding. Grinding is done after certain period to get
good carding action.
Why grinding is required:
Due to moving of cotton and waste particle on the surface of the cylinder, doffer
and flats wire points are damaged. Height of wire points are unequal in some
places and sharpness of wire points are reduced. As a result, poor carding action is
occurred and get poor quality of sliver.
Types of grinding apparatus: Two types
1. Long grinding roller
 2. Traverse grinding roller (It is better)
Mounting:
Mounting is replacing the old card clothing by new card clothing.

Frequency of grinding and mounting of cylinder, doffer flats and

licker-in:
1st grinding Frequency

Licker-in Not required grinding

Cylinder After completion 200-250 ton
production
Flat After completion 80-120 ton
production

2nd grinding

Cylinder After completion 450 ton production

Flat After completion 240 ton production
Doffer After completion 450 ton production

Mounting

Licker-in After completion 100-200 ton

production
Cylinder After completion 500-600 ton
production
Flat After completion 500 ton production
Doffer After completion 500-600 ton
production
Card waste:
I) Motes and fly (foreign matter/heavy particles: leaf, seeds) 33%

II) Flat strip (short fibers, neps) 45%

III) Cylinder strip (short fibers) 16%

IV) Doffer strip (short fibers) 2.5%

𝑉)Clearer waste ( short fly waste)
VI)Sweeping waste
} 3.5%
VII)Reusable waste

Card setting:
In carding m/c, the distance betn subsequent part is called card setting. Setting of
1
different parts are of very fine gauge, which are expressed in terms of
1000 i.e. in Thou.
Thou means
thousands of
one inch.
Now-a-days it is also done in mm. Each & every parts are placed or installed in the
carding m/c with a precise & accurate setting to achieve the sliver regularity.

Ideal setting
Ideal setting are those settings which are recommended by the m/c maker.

Optimum setting
Optimum setting are those settings which are merely suitable for achieving the technological
target as well as efficiency. It may be quoted that the ideal settings & optimum settings may
be of same or different in versatile cases.

Factors which are considered for optimum card setting

1. Type of feed mtl (cotton, synthetic etc).
2. Staple length of the mtl.
3. Fibre fineness.
4. The amount of trash to be removed.
5. The hank of lap feed.
6. The expected waste percentage.
7. Types of card clothing.
8. Hank of delivered sliver.
9. Production rate.
10. Mechanical condition of m/c.

Major setting point and their effect:

Feed plate to Licker-in:
Setting: 9-12 thou
Effect: If the setting is closer, higher waste% will get and vice versa.

Mote knife to Licker-in:

Setting: 10 thou
Effect: If the setting is closer, higher waste% will get and vice versa.

Licker-in to Cylinder:
Setting: 7 thou
 Effect: If the setting is wider, cotton will not perfectly open, as a result less neps will remove.
If the setting is closer, friction will be occurred between these parts.
Flat to Cylinder:
Setting: 10-15 thou
Effect: If the setting is closer, fiber will be breakage.
If the setting is more wider, neps and short fiber will less remove.
Doffer to Cylinder:
Setting: 8 thou
Effect: If the setting is closer, fiber will transfer cylinder to doffer properly.
If the setting is more wider, fiber will not transfer cylinder to doffer properly.
Cylinder to Cylinder under caging:
Setting: Back -12 thou, Middle-32thou, Front-64 thou
Effect: If the setting is wider, there is a less possibility to loss good fiber and vice versa.
NRE: Neps Removal Efficiency

The neps per grams that is removed from the carding m/c is expressed as percentage with
respect to the nep/gms in cotton while passing through the chute to the carding m/c is known
as the nep removal efficiency.

neps/gm of feed mtl − neps/gm of delivered mtl

𝑵𝑹𝑬% = ∗ 100
neps/gm of feed mtl
Low-70%, Medium-80%, High-90%

English cotton count (Ne):

It represents the no. of hank of 840 yards of length in a 1-pound(lb.) weight of yarn.

For example:
1Ne: 1 X 840 yards of length in 1 pound(lb.) of weight
10Ne :10 X 840 yards of length in 1 pound(lb.) of weight
20Ne : 20 X 840 yards of length in 1 pound(lb.) of weight

In case of sliver, lap and roving: Count expressed as hank.

Some necessary conversion:

• 1 pound (lb) = 7000 grains

• 1 pound (lb) = 453.6 grams
• 1 pound (lb) =16 ounce (oz)
• 1 lea =120 yards
• 7 leas or 840 yards =1 hank
• 1m=1.0936yd
• 1yd=0.914m
• 1 yd=36 inch
• 1kg=2.2046 pound (lb)

Problem: Find the production per shift of a carding machine by using following
data:
Sliver hank = 0.111
Eff. = 96 %
Delivery Speed = 189 m/min

Production= Here,
Sliver hank = 0.111
Delivery speed (m/min) × 1.0936 × 60 × 8 × eff.%
= 𝒍𝒃/𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕
840 × hank Eff. = 96 %
189 × 1.0936 × 60 × 8 × 0.96 Speed = 189 m/min
= 𝒌𝒈/𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒇𝒕
840 × 0.111 × 2.2046

= 472.99 kg/shift

Problem: Find the production per hour of a carding machine by using following
data:

• Doffer speed= 10 RPM-[;\o0;

• Doffer dia= 27 inch

• Sliver hank= 0.15
• Machine efficiency= 90%
• Production/hour=?

Problem- : Calculate the carding machine efficiency per shift if sliver breakage
time is 15 min, stoppage time due to can changes is 30 min, cleaning & other
stoppage time is 25 min.
Problem-: Calculate the cleaning efficiency of carding machine if trash in sliver
2.1 Ib. and trash in lap 7.2 Ib.
Draw frame
Drawing: It is a process of yarn manufacturing in which the sliver is enlongated when
passing through pairs of rollers, each pair faster than the previous one.
This permits combination of several slivers and drawing and enlongating them to straighten
and to create greater uniformity.

Objects of drawing:
I) To straighten the fibres in the slivers.
II) To make them lie is a manner parallel to their neighbours and to the sliver axis.
III) To improve the uniformity and evenness of the slivers.
IV) To reduce weight per unit length of sliver.
V) To reduce irregularities of fibre by doubling and drafting.
VI) To remove dust from sliver.
VII) To make perfect blending of the sliver.

Necessity of draw frame:

To parallelization of fibre and blending Carded sliver.
In carded sliver, fibre present in hook form i.e. trailing hooks and leading hooks.
To parallel those hooks, draw frame is used.

Majority of the fibre hooks in a carded sliver are trailing while leading hooks are
comparatively less. Trailing hooks are also known Mazor hooks. While leading hooks are
known as Minor hooks.

Tasks of draw frame:

I) Equalizing.
II) Parallelizing.
 III) Blending.
IV) Dust removal.

I) Equalizing: One of the main tasks of the draw frame is improving evenness over
short, medium and especially long terms. Carded slivers fed to the draw frame
have degree of unevenness that can not be tolerated in practice and slivers from
the comber contain the ‘infamous’ piecing. It is obscured by draw frame.
Equalizing is always performed by a first process, namely doubling and can optionally also
be performed by a second process, namely autolevelling. The draft and the doublings often
have the same value and lie in the range of 6 to 8

II) Parallelizing: To obtain an optimal value for strength in the yarn characteristics,
the fibres must be arranged parallel in the fibre strand. The draw frame has the
task of creating this parallel arrangement. It fulfils the task by way of the draft,
since every drafting step leads to straightening of the fibres.

III) Blending: In addition to the equalizing effect, doubling also provides a degree of
compensation of raw material variation by blending. This result is exploited in
particular in the production of blended yarns comprising cotton/synthetic or
synthetic/synthetic blends.
IV) Dust removal: Dust is steadily becoming a great problem both in processing and
for personnel involved. It is therefore important to remove dust to the greatest
practical extent at every possible points within the overall process. Dust removal
can only be carried out to a significant degree when there are high levels of
fibre/fibre or fibre/metal friction since a large friction the smallest particles(dust)
adhere relatively strongly to the fibres.
The draw frame is therefore a good dust removing m/c; on high performance draw frame
equipped with appropriate suction removal systems, more than 80% of the incoming dust is
extracted.

Actions involved in Draw frame:

Drawing: In the cotton Industry, the term is applied exclusively to processing on the draw
frame, where the operation is one of doubling and drafting.
Drawing = Drafting + Doubling.

I) Drafting: The process of attenuating or increasing length per unit weight of sliver. It is
mainly due to peripheral speed of the rollers.
 II) Doubling: The process of combing two or more carded sliver into a single form is
called doubling. In draw frame m/c generally six slivers are fed and converted into
one i.e. six doubling.

Operating device:
• Creel (Sliver feed)
• The drafting arrangement.
• Suction systems for the drafting arrangement.
• Coiling.
• Can changers.

Influence of the draft: Factors that affect the draft:

Factors dependent upon the fibre mtl:
I) Mass of the fibre in the strand cross-section.
II) Degree of order of the fibre.
III) Shape of cross section of the fibre strand.
IV) Compactness of the fibre strand.
V) Adhesion betn the fibres depend upon-
• Surface structure.
• Crimp.
• Lubrication.
• Compression of the strand.
VI) Fibre length.
VII) Evenness of distribution of fibre lengths.
VIII) Twist in the fibre strand.

Different drafting arrangement:

1. 3 over 4 roller drafting arrangement:
 • The characteristics feature of this arrangement is engagement of the middle
pressure roller with two bottom rollers.
• The two bottom rollers are carried in a common cradle and are not adjustable
relative to each other.
• A pressure bar may also be used in the main drafting field.
• The slivers enter into the back roller nip and are subjected to a small draft betn
1.07 and 2 between the back rollers and the middle 1 over 2 arrangement.
• There is no draft front pair of roller under going the major part of draft in this
zone.
• No roller slip occurs due to the middle (1 over 2) arrangement.

• This type of arrangement is now found mainly in the combing room, but also still
to some extent on draw frames such as Marzoli and Vouk m/cs.

Advantages:
• The widely change of setting range is possible.
• Control of fibre is increased due to drafting over surface.
• Suitable for processing of long fibre.

Disadvantages:
• Not suitable for processing of short fibre.
• Not make so much close of nep setting of back and front zone as 4 over 4 system.
• No drafting in the middle zone.

2. 3 over 3 drafting arrangement:

 • This is probably the most widely used form of drafting arrangement which was
first developed by Platt in 1960.
• The drafting arrangement runs more smoothly with larger rollers.
• This applies especially to the front rollers. For a given circumferential speed,
larger rollers can be operated at lower speeds of revolution.

• However, enlarging the rollers simultaneously increases the nep spacing.

• In the main drafting zone, a special guide system is needed, at least for short
fibres; this is the guide rail or pressure bar. It can operate from below or from
above.

3. 4 over 3 roller drafting arrangement:

• Strictly speaking, there is also a 3 roller, pressure bar drafting arrangement, but a
4th roller with some what lower loading is added to the delivery roller to act as a
guide.
• This leads the web in a curve round the grooved roller directly into the delivery
trumpet, thereby faciliting the formation of the sliver.
• The top rollers are uniform in diameter and large in order to keep the strain
imposed on them low.

Elements of drafting arrangements in short staple spinning generally:

1.Bottom rollers:
Bottom rollers are made of steel and are mounted in roller stands or in the frame by means of
needle, roller or ball bearings. They are positively driven from the main gear transmission. In
order to improve their ability to carry the fibres along, they are formed with flutes of one of
the following types-
I) Axial flutes.
II) Spiral flutes.
III) Knurled flutes.
Knurled flutting is used on roller receiving aprons to improve transfer of drive to the aprons;
other rollers have axial or increasingly, spiral flutting.
The diameter of the bottom rollers can lie in the range 20-90 mm but normally diameters betn
25 to 50 is used. A drafting arrangement includes three to six such rollers.

Fig: Axial fluted roller Fig: Spiral fluted roller

Fig: Knurled roller

2. Top rollers: The top rollers are not positively driven. They can be either one piece rollers
or twin rollers. Ball bearings are used almost exclusively in the rollers mountings. Soft coats
around the fibre strand to greater extent than harder ones and then guides the guides the fibres
better. A soft coating is therefore used where good guidance is necessary i.e. where few fibres
have to be moved with high draft levels. Hardness is specified in terms of degrees shore. The
following ranges distinguished:
Soft coating→ 600-700 shore.
Medium coating→ 700-900 shore.
Hard coating→ above 900 shore.

3. Top roller pressure: To clamp the fibres, the top rollers must be forced at high pressure
towards the bottom rollers. This pressure can be generated by-
• Loading by means of dead weights.
• Spring weighting.
• Hydraulic system.
 • Pneumatic weighting.
• Magnetic weighting.

Autoleveler:

Whatever be the system, the design of an auto leveler falls into two groups-
I) Open-loop control autoleveller.
II) Closed-loop ,, ,,

I) Open-loop control autoleveller:

 In open loop autoleveller, sliver wt is measured from input mtl.
 Here the measurement of sliver irregularity is expressed in terms of voltage
and is compared with a desired value(DV).
 The resulting error signal is amplified(A) and after a suitable time delay(TD)
This signal is used to vary the speed of variable speed device(S).
 A Tachogenerator(TG) ensures that the variable speed device accurately
follows the signal.
Back Front

Roller Roller
Input
M
output

DV A TD S TG

M = Measuring Point, DV = Desired value, A = Amplifier, TD = Time dealy, S = Variance

speed device, TG = Tachogenerator
Fig: Open-loop control autoleveller principle.
Advantage:
 Accurate regularity maintaining is possible.
 Piecing, which arises from combing, can be partly eliminated by open loop
system.
  Suitable for compensate the variation of short to medium wave length.

Disadvantage:
• If the measuring by sensor is improper, it is not possible to control regularity.
II) Closed-loop control autoleveller:
 In closed loop auto leveling system, sliver wt is measured(M) from the output
mtl and the resulting signal is integrated(I).
 Then the signal is compared with the desired level.
 After amplification(A), the variable speed device(S) varies the speed of the
drafting rollers, but because of the absence of any averaging device this would
cause irregularities in output.
Back Front

Roller Roller
M
Input
output

TG S A DV

M = Measuring Point, DV = Desired value, A = Amplifier,

S = Variance speed device, TG = Tachogenerator
Fig: Closed-loop control autoleveller principle.
Advantages:
 Suitable for compensating errors of long wave length.
 It can be used in error draw frame.
 A part of faults can be eliminated by it in first passage.

Disadvantage:
 It can not eliminate piecing as finely as open loop system.
 It is very costly.
 After going through closed loop auto-levelling system ,the sliver needs a
second passage for eliminating other faults.

 g.
Necessity of Auto stop motion: Stop motion is a device which provided to ensure in the m/c
are stopped immediately if-
 The sliver run out from the creeled can.
 Sliver breaks in the creel.
 Lap up on the drafting roller.
 Chocked in the sliver collecting plate and funnel.
 Chocke in the trumplet above the calendar roller.
 Lap on the calendar roller.
 Choke in the coiler tube.
 Opening of the head end door.
If stop motion is absent then the following defects may arise:
 Considerable damage may cause to the m/c.
 The output sliver may be thick or thin.
 Lapping up of drafting or calendar roller.
 Irregular drafting.
 Excess of full can.
 Too much waste produce.
 The strength of yarn or roving vary at different places.

Effect of Draft, Doubling on sliver quality:

We know that, due to drawing and drafting the irregularity of sliver increases but due to
doubling irregularity decreases.
Let us consider that,
CVm = Co-efficient of variation of mass and
d = Draft
Now, CVm µ d
Þ CVm = Kd ;

Where, k is constant for particular fibre. So from the above eqn, we can see that, if draft
increase the CV percentage also increases. i.e. irregularity also increase.
Graphically,
 C.V%

C.V%
Drafting Doubling

Again the relation betn doubling and irregularity as

1
CV0 µ Where, CV0 = Output CV%
N
CVm
Þ CV0 = CVm = Input CV%
N
N = No. of doubling

That is, when doubling increases the CV% of output sliver decreases i.e. Irregularity
decreases.

Effect of irregularity:
1. Effect of yarn:
 Thick and thin place is induced on yarn
 The strength of yarn or robbing vary at different places
 Twist or unit length may also vary at different places
2. Effect of fabric
 Finishing of fabric does not uniform
 Less stable dimension
External lusture is damaged.
Irregularity drafting:
Irregular drafting increase irregular of delivery sliver
Causes:
 Incorrect top roller weighting
 Damage cot roller
 High vibration
 Incorrect setting of bottom drafting roller
  Faulty stop motion device
Remedies:
 Correct roller setting
 Proper weighting of top roller
 Proper draft distribution and stop motion would be maintained.
 Replacement of damage cot roller
Roller lapping: When sliver passes through betn rollers in draw frame, they sometime form
lap with the bottom roller. This is called roller lapping.
 For oily roller covering.
 Cracked roller surface.
 For warm roller covering.
 Impurities on the roller flutes.
 High relative humidity percentage.

Remedies:
 Roller covering should free from oil, wax etc.
 Roller surface should be plain/well burnished.
 By removing impurities from roller flutes.
 Proper control of RH%
 Replacement of damaged rollers.

Roller setting: The arrangement of roller between the nip points of two adjacent pair of
rollers in draw frame is called roller setting.

Factor of roller setting:

1. Fiber staple length: When staple length then roller gauge will be high.
2. Bulkiness of material: Bulk of material is high, setting will be wider and vice-versa.
3. Degree of compactness of input sliver: If compactness is high, setting will be wider
4. Fibre surface characteristics: If fibre surface harsh, then wider setting and vice-versa.
5. Draft: High draft, closer roller setting.
6. Types of roller: If metallic roller, wider setting. If rubber roller, closer setting.
 7. Machine speed: High speed, wider setting.
8. Frictional property: If frictional property of fibers is high, then setting should be
wider.
9. Machines mechanical condition: If mechanical condition of machine is had, the
setting should be wider.
First of all, the roller setting is selected on the basis of above factor.
If the sliver quality is bad than on trial basis, the setting of machine should be adjusted so that
the uniform sliver is obtained.

Problem-01: Find out the production/shift in lbs of a modern draw frame, from the following
particulars:
Delivery speed = 600 m/min, No of delivery/frame = 2, Draft = 8, No of doubling = 8, Feed
sliver wt = 60 gr/Yds, Efficiency = 90%
Soln:
Feed wt
Draft (required ) = ´ Doubling
Delivery wt
Feed wt
Þ Delivery wt = ´ Doubling
Draft

60 ´ 8
= = 60 gr / yd
8
600 ´1.09 ´ 60 ´ 8 ´ 0.90 ´ 60 ´ 2
Production per shift =
7000

éQ 7000 grain = 1 lb ù
= 4843.33 lb ê 1m = 1.09Yds ú
ë û

Problem-02: Find out DCP to produce 60gr/Yd sliver from 62gr/Yd sliver if,
Delivery speed 400m/min
No of doubling 8
Draft constant 320
Soln:
 Feed wt 62 ´ 8
Deliver wt = ´8 =
Draft Draft
Þ Draft = 8.267
Draft const
\ Draft =
DCP
\ DCP = 37.99 » 38