The carding quality could be judged by

• Transfer Efficiency %
• NEP Removal Efficiency.
• 3) Fiber Arrangement in Sliver

"Transfer Efficiency is defined as the percentage of fiber transferred to doffer

from cylinder per revolution of cylinder."

The Transfer Efficiency of card is important from the point of view of

determining the level of loading of the cylinder. A poor Transfer Efficiency
results in excessive loading of fibres on cylinder, which restricts the further
scope of card for improving the quality and increasing the production level.
But the higher Transfer
Efficiency need not be taken as a measure of good carding.

The cylinder load consists of two parts viz-basic load and working load. The
basic load represents the fibres, which get absorbed into the cylinder
foundation over a period of time. And the working load represents fibre load
on surface from which fibre get transferred to the doffer. In the metallic cards
fibres on the surface constitute the cylinder load. A high cylinder load is
naturally determined to good carding. Since it enter fares with fibre
separation and individualization in cylinder flat region.

Transfer Efficiency of card is very sensitive to some of the settings in card.

Transfer Efficiency or Transfer Ratio is going to change not only from
machine to machine but also due to some machine parameters, like speed,
settings, card clothing etc.

When ordinary card clothing is used the Transfer Efficiency is about 5%. Now
a day with metallic wires being introduced, the Transfer Efficiency is
enhanced up to 25%. This is because the loading and unloading
characteristics of the card vary with the flexible wire and metallic wire.

A high cylinder load is naturally determined to good carding since it interferes

with fibre separation and individualization in cylinder flat region. Low transfer
efficiency is also undesirable, as it not only leads to building up of higher
cylinder load but also over working of fibres since poor transfer efficiency
results in the fibres being taken round the cylinder more number of times
than necessary and it causes nep generation.

Simpson's Analysis:
The doffer collecting fraction i.e. the proportion of fibre transferred to doffer
depends upon the following ratio of wire angles i.e.
R = (Sin β 2 + Cos β 2)/ (Sin β 1 + Cos β 1)
β 1 = inclination angle of cylinder wire point.
β 2 = inclination angle of doffer wire point.
This ratio reaches its maximum value 1.414 when β 1 =90° and β 2=45°.
However, since a cylinder wire point angle of 90° would not given a good
carding action, angle of 88° for cylinder and 45° for doffer are suggested.
Keeping production rate constant, if doffer speed is enhanced with a
proportionate reduction in sliver hank the load on cylinder decreases
and Transfer Efficiency increases. It means at the same production rate
a combination of faster doffer and lighter sliver improves carding.

An increase in cylinder speed reduces load on cylinder. An increase in

cylinder speed the load on cylinder reduces with a concomitant
increase in transfer coefficient.

In the first case, in order to keep the production rate constant, the
doffer speed needs to be adjusted according to sliver linear density.
This however changes cylinder doffer surface speed ratio since cylinder
speed remains unaltered.
In the Second Case, to keep the cylinder doffer surface speed ratio
constant, the cylinder speed is also changed in proportion to change in
doffer speed. From above discussion it can be concluded that heavier
sliver increases loading and decreases transfer efficiency. It had been
also observed the load to be more for heavier sliver than the lighter
one irrespective of production rate. Transfer efficiency was always
higher for lighter sliver.

An increase in production rate through doffer speed results in increase

in loading and as well as transfer efficiency. It means even though
transfer efficiency increases, it does not increase proportionate to
increase in production rate, resulting cylinder load to increase.
Simpson and Fiori [5] have also reported cylinder load to increase with
production rate which was varied in the range of 15-50 lb/h. Transfer
efficiency increased with production rate only in the case of higher
micronaire (5.5) cotton. For others it shows a tendency to decrease.

Change in production rate (from 6.1 lb/hr to 18.1 lb/hr) through (gr/yd)
increases loading and decreases Transfer Efficiency.

Transfer Efficiency increases with closer setting cylinder doffer setting.

Cylinder loading to decrease and transfer coefficient to increase with
closer setting since it increases the zone of interaction between
cylinder and doffer.

If the diameter of doffer is reduced by half, the zone of interaction is

reduced by 0.7 and the coefficient of entrapment by 1.18. Hence
reduction in size may increase cylinder load. A higher wire point
density on doffer will reduce cylinder load. Though cylinder load
reduces with enhancement of wire point density on doffer but the
effect is less critical than wire angle.

MECHANISM OF TRANSFER OF FIBRES IN CARD

The operation of carding can be broadly classified into the following

aspects:
1. Cleaning capacity of the card
2. Degree of fibre to fibre separation
3. Level of NEP generation in card
4. Time required getting the fibres carded
5. Time during which fibre remains on the card after carding action is
over
6. Means by which only the carded fibres are taken cut while the un-
carded portion of fibre is allowed to remain in the card till the carding
is complete for that portion. Insufficient fibre-to-fibre separation, blunt
card wire causes rolling of fibre and improper machine settings. A low
level of neps may not always assure satisfactory degree of fibre to
fibre to fibre separation. Hence, degree of fibre-to-fibre separation has
to be considered as another aspect of carding. Poor level of fibre-to-
fibre separation produces cloudy web and further affects the even
drafting of card sliver at the subsequent processes even up to ring
frame.
The time required to get the fibres carded, and the time for which
fibres
remains on the card after carding action is over decide the potentiality
of the card for high
production rates without deterioration of the quality. With increase of
this time element,
loading of cotton fibres on cylinder increases, resulting either in
deterioration of carding
quality or limiting any increase in the card production rate further. Put,
here also, actual
time required for carding and the time for which the fibres remain in
the card after
carding cannot be measured separately.
When the production rate of carding has to be increased, three factors
should be considered:
1. Card should be able to clean the cotton at the highest speed;
2. It should separate fibres from other in the time available; and
3. Fibres should get transferred from cylinder to doffer immediately
after carding
(fibre-to-fibre separation) is complete and there is no undue build up of
load on
the cylinder.