Post-spinning yarn engineering

A new post-spinning approach to yarn engineering uses the concept of 'drafting-against-untwisting' to simultaneously false-untwist and draft a yarn that is already spun. A relatively coarse spun yarn is passed through a drafting-against-untwisting apparatus to make it finer and softer. This approach has potential to reduce the linear density of any staple yarn, whilst enabling its properties to be manipulated to the needs of the market. Post-spinning yarn engineering, has potential for producing fine, soft, strong, low-hairiness yarns. The process can be incorporated into an existing winding process, so eliminating the need for an extra processing step in yarn-manufacture. Though the results reported here are limited to woollen and worsted yarns, further work is on-going with other types of yarns, including rotor-spun yarns.