Investigation of the concurrent sliver-opening mechanism and unveiling features of the new dual-feed rotor spinning concept

To examine the effectiveness of the new dual-feed rotor spinning system, we performed a set of experiments to assess the influence of the opening roller type, sliver feed method, and direction of fiber feeding into the rotor on the quality of a polyester/cotton blend yarn. Six yarn samples of 58tex consisting of 55/45 polyester/cotton were prepared in this study. Their respective properties, such as tenacity, elongation at break, mass irregularity, hairiness, thick (+35%) and thin (-30%) places were tested and statistically analyzed using Minitab. ANOVA analysis showed that the tested yarn quality properties were statistically significant among groups except for thick places (+35%). Tukey's post hoc test based on the honest significant difference was performed to determine the implication of results within groups at the value of alpha = 0.05. The dual-feed blend yarn (PCLR) spun with opening roller type OK37 on the left and OK40 on the right exhibited superior yarn quality characteristics compared to other samples. Dually carded slivers yielded better yarn quality compared to simultaneously carded ones. The combing direction did not produce a clear trend on the quality of yarns. The study provides important insights into the potential of the dual-feed rotor spinning concept.