A continuous measurement system for yarn structures by an optical method

This paper presents a continuous observation and measurement system to acquire spatial distributions of multiple yarn structural parameters and a three-dimensional configuration of fibres in yarns. The system comprises an automatic yarn transmission unit, an optical observation device, image acquisition, analysis and display units. Spatial orientation of fibre, distribution of yarn twist and diameters, fibre radial position and other migration characteristics are, for the first time, determined in a simultaneous fashion. Extensive experiments were carried out to evaluate the system. In addition to the studies on different yarn types, further investigations were made on two types of yarns including the twist in short yarn segments, fibre orientation angle, radial position, migration frequency and amplitude as well the three-dimensional configurations of fibres. The experimental results indicate that the present system has good reliability and repeatability. The measured values are in good agreement with those obtained by other conventional techniques for single-parameter measurements.