An experimental study of ballooning yarn with a control ring

In ring spinning, yarn rotates about the spindle axis to form a yarn balloon. Balloon-control rings constrain the balloon and reduce the spinning tension, allowing a higher speed of operation. In the work reported in this paper, a specially constructed spinner test rig is used to verify experimentally a mathematical model of the ring-controlled balloon. The test rig rotates an adjustable length of yarn without imparting twist while measuring the eyelet tension. The three-dimensional balloon shapes are also measured. Plots of eyelet tension versus yarn length are produced for a range of yarn air drag, control-ring radii, and control-ring heights. For a small yarn length (narrow balloons), the theoretical and experimental results match well. However, several balloon shapes predicted by the theory for a greater yarn length are not experimentally observed.