DEFECTS AND CAUSES The various types of defects in yarn and material processed at different stages from the

blow room onwards and possible causes for this defects particularly those arising from Improper process parameters, poor maintenance and condition of the machines are discussed in this section. This would help mills to decide the corrective measures to be taken in order to improve the quality of yarn on one hand and to judge from the nature of defects prevailing, the standard of machinery maintenance on the other. The causes illustrated are among those generally prevalent in mills. Mills should take particular care to use optimum process parameters depending upon the quality characteristics of the Raw Materials Processed. This can be ensured by periodical inspection of machinery to diagnose the conditions. This can be realized by introducing a systematic follow up programme by quality control department and maintenance department. High Variation in Blowroom Lap Weight Insufficient opening of cotton and wide variation in tuft size. Wrong selection of beaters for type of cotton processed. Use of excessive softwaste in the mixing. Unequal feeding of the mixing in hopper bale breaker. Improper synchronisation in the amount of material fed and delivered from the beaters in the processing sequence. Intermittent failures of feed/delivery mechanism. In adequate sensitivity of piano feed regulating motion. Ineffective working of the feed regulating motion due to links worn, sluggish or incorrectly set. Irregular air flow on cages and faulty air currents due to incorrect settings of dampers and dust accumulation in air passage. Unnecessary and frequent adjustment of lap feed regulating motion. Uneven mixing of soft waste with cotton. The various checks to be made at different departments are listed in this chapter.

Worn pedal link, knife and cone drum bearings. Malfunctioning of the length measuring motion. Cage choked with dust and dirt on their surface. Insufficient pressure in the condensers after the beaters. Defective function of solenoids and air filters in the modern scutchers. Extreme variation in the ambient condition in the department.

Nep Formation in Blow Room Cottons with too high or low moisture. Extremely fine cottons with high trash content. Reprocessing of laps and mixing of soft waste. Rough or blunt blades and bent pins on beaters. Damaged and rusty grid bars. Narrow settings between the feed roller or pedal and beater. Long, curved and U-bends in conveyor pipe lines. Inappropriate ratio of fan to beater speed. Wider setting between stripping rail and beater. Slack or too tight fan belts. Too high or low beater speeds. Worn out stripping rails. Air leakage and obstruction of cotton flow through pipe line. Use of more number of beaters than the requirement.

Poor Cleaning Efficiency Blunt striking edges of beaters. Air leakage at beater chamber and dust receptacle. Improper adjustment of angle or grids, and space between grids and grid bars set too close to beater. High variation of trash content in the different cottons used for the mixing. Fan speed too high and back draft from gutter flue.

Wider settings between evener roller & inclined lattice. Excessive waste accumulation at air passage or infrequent waste removal. Excessive feed to the beater.

Cotton not Opened Properly Missing or broken spikes. Absence of, or damaged beater flaps. Excessive feed to the beater due to improper synchronisation of feed and delivery of the beaters in blow room. Incorrect grip of cotton by one or more pedals due to clogging at pedal support or worn knife. Excessive suction pressure in the material transport trunks. Lower beater speeds.

Excessive Lint Loss Grid bars set too widely. Missing grid bars. Lower beater speeds. Higher number of beating points. High short fibre content in cotton. Uneven mixing of soft waste. Weak air current due to inadequate suction pressure in the duct. Improper adjustment of waste control plates in modern beaters.

Conical Lap Uneven weighting of calender rollers due to broken springs or worn bearing. Dampers & cages choked with dust and dirt, on one side. Obstruction in the movement of lap rack due to worn out or broken/damaged gear teeth.

Lap Licking Inadequate calender roller pressure due to worn parts in weighting mechanism. Excessive rack pressure. Too humid condition in blow room. Prolonged stocking of laps in blow room. Rack movement strained due to damaged slots and rack arm. Improper deposition of opened cotton on the cages due to disturbance in suction pressure. Damaged or eccentric cages.

Holes in the Lap Cages not cleaned properly. Frequent obstruction in the movement of materials in the material transport trunks. Pedal movement not free. Missing / Damaged beater spikes.

CARDS High Card Sliver Variation Too high a tension draft and stretching of web. Variation in setting between back plate and cylinder. Front plate to cylinder between cards. Variation in flat speed between cards processing the same mixing. Bent / damaged back and front plate. Obstruction in the movement of Aprons during doffing in modern cards. Size of the coiler trumpet not adjusted to the hank. Feed roller weighting not acting properly. Difference in drafts between cards.

Nep Formation in Cards Lap too heavy, closer settings of lap selvedge guides. Wider back plate to cylinder settings.

High lickerin speeds. Lickerin set too far from feed plate. Blunt lickerin wire or dull flats. jammed wire in doffer. Uneven flat settings. Cylinder and flats or doffer set too wide. Too much space between lickerin cover and feed plate. Ends of front and back plates damaged and milled ends of flats dirty. Under casing choked with fly. Cylinder / doffer not stripped properly after lapping. Dirty / choked under casings. Rough surface in front and back plate. Use of blunt grinding stone and inadequate or too high a grinding frequency. Insufficient stripping. Higher doffer speeds. Too fine immature or damp cotton.

Holes or Patches in Card Web Cluster of cotton embedded on cylinder wires. Excessive unopened cotton limps from the lickerin, cylinder and flats. Wider setting between lickerin and cylinder. Damaged cylinder / doffer / flat wires. Cylinder / doffer wires embedded with excessive seed coats or greasy matters in patches. Faulty air current under the lickerin, cylinder & doffer.

COMBER Higher Comber Sliver Variation Difference in waste extraction between heads. Variation in the settings between back detaching roller and nipper.

Improper cam setting depending upon the staple length of the material. Unicomb choked with seed coats or immatured cotton. Wide setting between Unicomb and comb cleaning brush. Excentric top and bottom rollers. Misaligned and bent nippers. Improper needle spacing, broken or bent needles. Variation in detaching roller diameter and improper timing of top combs. Fluctuation in pneumatic pressure for top roller weighting. Aspirator choked. Difference in the piecing distance of the combed fleece. Poor condition of sadles and top detaching roller brackets.

Thick and Thin Bars in Comber Web Incorrect timing of the detaching roller cam. Top comb set too deeply. Top comb touching the back detaching roller. Improper pressure on nippers or damaged nipper jaws.

Difference in Noil Between Heads Variation in top comb penetration between the heads of the same comber. Variation in setting between unicomb and bottom nipper. Improper setting of the cam which decides the length of over lapping after combing. Uneven and insufficient nipper grip. Variation in diameter and pressure of top detaching rollers. Obstruction in the movement of aspirators.

Poor Combing Efficiency Presence of fibre hooks or disorderly arranged fibres due to non standard preparatory process. Timing of the combing cycles not adjusted properly at the proper indices. Top comb choked with short fibres / immature fibres.

Inadequate penetration of top comb. Half lap cleaning brush loose on shaft or set too far from the cylinder. Excessive variation in short fibre contents in the mixing. Wider setting between unicomb and nipper. Inconsistent mixing of soft waste.

Lap Running Slack Improper feed-ratchet movement. Lap Loose on the shaft. Insufficient tension draft between lap roller and feed roller.

Poor Nep Removal Efficiency in Combers Wider setting between half lap and bottom nipper. Wider setting between comb cleaning brush and stripping rail. Low penetration of brush with half lap. Insufficient penetration of top comb. Uneven nipper grip. Damaged needles in top / uni comb. Damaged / absence of top roller clearer cloth. Incorrect atmospheric conditions.

DRAW FRAME High Drawing Sliver Variation Improper pressure on top rollers due to defective parts or defect in weighting system. Wrong settings, improper roller coverings, eccentric top and bottom rollers. Incorrect trumpet size. Improperly meshed or worn gear wheels, gear wheel brackets broken or improper secured. Excessive creel draft and web tension draft. Stop motion ineffective.

Incorrect sliver guide setting at feed. Good fibres drawn due to high air suction. Variation in top roller diameter. Worn top roller end bushes / saddles. Improper settings in the sliver condensing plate at the creel. Improper use of break draft in breaker and finisher passages.

Roller Lapping in Draw Frame Channeled or worn roller covering. Incorrect setting of top roller clearers, or worn clearers. Damaged flutes in bottom rollers. Scratches in calender rollers. Improper humidity. Excessive top roller pressure. Use of varnishes to the top roller cots. Inadequate suction in the pneumafil. Roller settings too close or too wide for the type of material processed. Excessive trash in the feed material.

Irregularity Selvedge in Drawing Improper top roller pressure. Spread of sliver at feed excessive. Bottom roller flutes damaged. Excessive pneumatic pressure.

Impurities in Sliver Damaged / absence of top roller clearers. Incorrect setting of various clearers. Pneumafil suction ineffective.

End Breaks in Drawing Improper piecing at back process. Doubled sliver in feed.

Thin card sliver due to web falling at cards. Incorrect trumpet size. Cottons having excessive honey dew content. Inadequate top roller pressure / break draft. Damaged surfaces in drafting / calender rollers. Over filling of cans, and poor material handling practices. Very wide setting between drafting rollers. Deeply meshed gears. Improper ambient conditions in the department.

SPEED FRAME High Variation in Roving Hank Too high a break / total draft. Improper selection of condensor guides. Vibration of roving bobbin on the slot while running. Stretching of sliver at feed. High variation in bare bobbin diameter. Improper choice of winding-on wheel and ratchet wheel. Inadequate top arm pressure. Incorrect movement of cone-drum belt. Irregular or clogged aprons. Worn, damaged or improperly meshed gears and beatings. Bent flyers or rough spots on flyers. Jerky movement of bobbin rail.

Roller Laps Excessive spindle speed and higher drafts. Damaged surface in the top roller cots. Use of varnishes on the top roller cots. Damaged aprons / condensor guides.

 Slubs

Improper choice of spacers. Too wide settings at the back zone. Improper ambient conditions in the department.

Ratching / Stretching Improper winding-on or ratchet wheel. Improper starting position of cone drum belt. Improper initial bobbin layer and incorrect build of layers. Variation in bare bobbin diameter. Improper shifting of cone drum belt.

Ridgy Bobbins Badly worn or improper meshing of reversing bevels. Incorrect taper formation. Wrong choice of taper wheel.

Slough Off Improper function of builder mechanism during the reversal on bobbin rail. Wrong selection of lifter wheel which decides the coils density. Incorrect taper formation. Excessive bobbin weight than the manufacturers recommendations.

Excessive end breaks. Waste accumulation at creels, clearers and flyers. Improper choice of spacer. Use of lower break draft. Closer settings at the back zone. Absence of positively driven top roller clearers. Excessive lashing during end breaks. Damaged or absence of top and bottom roller cloth.

End Breaks Incorrect choice of creel draft.

Sliver entanglement at feed. Improper piecing at back process. Too wide a back zone setting. Loose or broken top / bottom aprons. Too high a break draft. Inadequate top roller pressure. Vibration in the flyers. Use of narrow spacer. Damaged top edges of the cam. Feed cam spring in active causing high stretch to feed sliver. Loose spindle and bobbin shaft driving wheel. Draft gears set too deeply during meshing. Broken or damaged teeth in draft gears. (The same causes listed for excessive roller lapping also apply).

RING FRAMES Uneven Yarn Inadequate pressure on top rollers. Damaged or worn rings, heavy or light travelers. Defective and worn gears, bearings and spindles. Close setting of traveler clearers and rough surface of separators. Non-alignment of aprons. Improper top roller settings. Lappet and spindle setting not correct. Bottom rollers eccentric and vibrating, and lapping on rollers. Aprons with cracks, seams and grooves. Long roving piecing. Too wide or too close a back zone setting. Improper use of break draft.

Broken or damaged roving guide. Obstruction or vibration in the movement of roving traverse.

Between-Bobbin Count Variation Variation in average lap weight over long intervals (over half a shift). High cm. to cm. variation in lap. Excessive variation in tuft size. Use of three passages in post-comber drawing. Stretch in draw frame sliver fed to roving. Frequent changes of pinion in drawing and ring spinning. Use of one draw frame for breaker and finisher passage simultaneously. Improper roll space settings or finisher passage setting closer than the breaker passage in draw frame. Improper use of break drafts in breaker and finisher passages in draw frame. Excessive stretch in roving due to improper function of builder mechanism in speed frame. Unequal shifting of cone drum belt while the formation roving layers. Wrong selection of winding on / ratchet wheel. Lower twist in roving. Variation in bare bobbin diameter. Row to row differences in roving hank. Spindle vibration, variation in ring frames. Draft differences between ring frames. Creel draft variation and skewers / bobbin holders clogged with waste. High variation in relative humidity. Variation in top roller pressure.

Within-Bobbin Count Variation High card sliver U% and comber sliver U%. Roller slippage in drawing.

Excessive web tension draft in drawing. Ratching in roving. High tension draft or improper coils in roving. Excessive pinion changes in ring spinning. Use of long separator plates at high spindle speeds. Low humidity levels.

Crackers in the Yarn Mixing cottons differeing widely in staple length. Too close a setting in ring spinning. Worn or unbuffed top rollers and eccentric top or bottom rollers. Improper stopping and starting of ring frames. Incorrect apron nip opening. Inadequate top rollers pressure. Loose top / bottom apron. Improper cradle holders.

Thick and Thin Places in Yarn High fibre length variation and immature fibres. Poor carding or combing. Uneven roving. Excessive foreign matter in yarn. Eccentric top and bottom rollers in ring spinning. Insufficient pressure on top rollers. Wide setting between aprons; broken, worn and slack aprons. Too high a draft in ring frame. Worn rings. Too close a setting between traveler clearer and traveler. Improper setting of tensor bar. Excessive fly liberation in ring frame. Damaged top / bottom roller clearers.

 Slubs

Jerky movement of ring rail.

Excessive short fibres in the mixing. Inadequate individualization in cards. Improper piecing in roving. Variation in top roller pressure in ring frames. Poor housekeeping and fluff accumulation on machine parts. Bad piecing with too long overlap. Too wide setting between apron and front roller.

End Breaks in Ring Spinning Damaged skewers and clogged bobbin holder. Jerky motion of ring rail. Vibration or eccentric spindle driving pulleys. Slack spindle tape. Worn gear wheel and deep meshing of gears. Choking and improper alignment of pneumafil. Spindle out-of-centre with ring and lappet. Cracked and worn bobbins. Improper fit of bobbins. Incorrect bobbin diameter. Worn rings. Traveler clearer set closer. Too high a draft. Break draft not optimum. Loose and worn aprons. Incorrect shore hardness of top rollers. Insufficient pressure on top rollers. Incorrect apron nip opening and settings.

 REEL

Excessive twist in roving. Lack of control of temperature and humidity.

High Yarn Hairiness Mixing cottons with wide variation in micronnaire and maturity. Excessive short fibre content in the mixing. Use of excessive draft in spinning preparatory and ring frames. Higher spindle speed. Incorrect choice of traveller. Serrations or cut in lappet hook, ANBC rings.

Cork Screw Yarn Aprons with cracked surfaces. Top roller slippage. Generation of static charges.

Excess Threads in Hank Damaged teeth at worm or worm wheel at reels. Ineffective, or absence of, full doff stop motion at reels.

Entangled Threads in Hanks Unpieced ends. Defective shifting mechanism. Defective thread guide. Defective or bent swift.

Length Variation Between Hanks Variation in circumference at different places of swift. High breakage rate. Ineffective brake.

ROTOWINDER Stitches in Cone Cone holder vibration.

Cone holder incorrectly set to winding drum. Damaged grooves in drums. Non-alignment of tension bracket with drum. Cut marks in yarn guide. Improper fit of cones on cone holder. Excessive sloughing off of ring bobbin.

Ribbon wound Cone Cone holder incorrectly set to winding drum. Yarn traverse groove choked with impurities / damaged verse groove in the winding drum. Defective setting of cams switch for pilot motor.

Bell Shaped Cone High yarn tension during winding. Cone holder incorrectly set to winding drum. Damages in paper cone at the center.

Bulging Nose High pressure on base of cone causing nose to lift up. Loss of tension on yarn. Spindle not seated properly at nose.

End Breaks in Cone Winding Excessive tension. Supply spindle out of line with yarn guide. Defective slub catcher setting. Excessive sloughing off of ring bobbin. Cuts or serrations in the thread guide or tension weights. Improper ring bobbin holders.

RING DOUBLER Cork Screw Yarn High tension variation between yarns from the supply package.

Excessive twist or high variation in twist level in the individual yarns.

Low Yarn Strength Slack spindle tapes. Insufficient grip between top & bottom roller. Variation in twist in the single yarn. Excessive breaks in doubling.

TWO-FOR-ONE TWISTER Low Yarn Strength Singles due to stop motion failure. Abraded yarn by thread guides in the yarn passage. Improper selection of tensioners.

High Twist Variations Incorrect tension of driving belts. Insufficient take up roller pressure. Improper selection of tensioners.

OPEN END SPINNING MACHINE Uneven Yarn Dirt deposition in the rotor. Higher level of trash content in the feed sliver. Damaged combing roller. Damaged outlet. Lesser combing roller speed. Too low or too high a draft. Draw frame sliver with higher unevenness. Failure of twist flow during piecing.

Frequent End Breaks Damaged condenser. Clogged trash boxes. Higher sliver trash content.

Defective operation of sliver feed mechanism. Insufficient pressure in pressure roller. Presence of foreign fibres, large neps and thick places. Defective thread guide / sliver clutch. Damaged or bent opening roller clothing. Improper function of trash removal system disconnected or clogged suction tube. Trash accumulation up in suction duct. Obstruction in the feed roller movement. Insufficient twist, inadequate number of fibres in the yarn cross section.

Package Deformation Insufficient spring force in the cheese holder. Faulty function of traverse guide. Variation in twist level in the yarn. Excessive end breaks. Improper arms of bobbin holder. Variation in the level of cheese holder brackets.

Excessive kitties Poor cleaning of cotton in Blow room & cards. Insufficient suction pressure. Lower opening roller speeds. Damaged or bent opening roller clothing.

Long Thick Places in Yarn Presence of highly immatured cottons in the mixing. Inadequate individualization in cards due to lower lickerin / cylinder speeds. Lower opening roller speeds in open end spinning machine. Damaged or blunt wire points in opening roller clothing. Improper selection of Navel.

Dampness in the air supplied to open end spinning machine. Presence of unopened roving in the feed sliver.

AUTO CONER Faulty Splicing Poor blowing pressure in splicer. Unequal splicing. Faulty yarn trap. Dampness in the supply air. Faulty function of air blasting & suction system in the splicing prism. Presence of excessive microdust in the yarn.

Excessive cuts Faulty clearers. Failures in electronic yarn clearer sensitivity. Variation in setting. Too close a setting in electronic clearer. Variation of yarn faults in the parent yarn. Improper ambient conditions in the department.

Excessive Breaks Higher objectionable faults in yarn. Poor yarn suction pressure in clearer. Magazine failure. Bad cop build.

Cone Weight Variation Faulty function of cone holder. Frequent end breaks. Improper function of length measuring mechanism. Inadequate cone holder pressure.