Classification of Yarn Faults

The yarns used could be in two different forms: a twisted assembly of continuous filaments or staple fibers,
or a parallel assembly of filaments. The yarns are interlaced or looped together to form woven, knitted,
braided or knotted products. Sometimes, the slender filaments are first transformed into a bulky yarn and
then used in this form in some applications.

Classification of Yarn Faults:

Figure-1: Different yarn faults

Broadly we can classify yarn faults into the following categories:

Broadly there are three basic subcategories of the imperfection index that are given here:
1. Thick place (+50%)
2. Thin place (−50%)
3. Neps (+200%)

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These are the faults of the yarn, and excessive numbers of thick places, thin places, or neps cause the
different types of faults that affect the fabric quality and appearance. Loom efficiency is also decreased as
IPI causes excessive breakage during the warping process. These faults are classified on the basis of yarn
diameter, which can be calculated by the formula:

1
Yarn diameter = inch
Countx 28

Yarn diameter can also be calculated by optical or capacitive method. The USTER Tester 5 uses the
capacitive method to determine the yarn diameter. If the diameter of any place along the length of the yarn is
50% higher than the actual diameter of the yarn then it is considered as a thick place, and if the diameter is
50% less than the yarn diameter then it is counted as a thin place. If the diameter of any place is so high that
it becomes 200% of the yarn diameter then such a place is considered to be a nep of yarn. The IPI tells us
about the evenness of the yarn. The USTER Tester is used to determine the unevenness of yarn and is
based on the capacitive method. In this method, the yarn is passed through two capacitive plates and on the
basis of capacitance changes the diameter of the yarn passing through the plates is analyzed.

Coefficient of Variation of Mass (CV%):

CV percentage can be defined as the standard deviation expressed as a percentage of average:

SD
CV% = x 100
Average

Where,

x - are the individual values of mass of specific length over which unevenness is being measured.
n = is the number of readings.

Hairiness Index (H):

This is the accumulated length of hairs in centimeters in the unit length. It is denoted by H and has no unit
because it is the ratio of two lengths:

Total length of all protruding fibres (cm)

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The hairiness range for the traditional yarn is 2–12. In the case of finer yarn, there are less fibers per unit
cross-section and normally longer fibers are used so they have less tendency to move outward, which
results in low hairiness. Normally ring spun yarn has a higher H value than air vortex and rotor yarn because
of the friction that occurs between the traveler and the yarn and also the higher mobility that is observed.
There are many techniques by which hairiness can be measured, such as optical, capacitive, and image
analyses as well as the theoretical method. In most cases, hairiness is measured by the optical method,
normally an USTER or Zweigle Hairiness Tester.

Periodic faults:

These are the faults that arise periodically and appear as a wood pattern or as stripes or streaks in the fabric.
The appearance of periodic faults in yarn is shown in Figure-2. After dyeing such faults result in shade
variation.

Figure-2: Appearance of the yarn periodic faults in the fabric.

Classimat faults:

On the base of the USTER Classimat, yarn faults are classified into the following categories, most of which
can be removed with the help of any yarn clearer in the auto cone department during the winding process.
1. Neps
2. Short thick
3. Long thick or double yarn
4. Long thin
Normally neps have a length of 0.1–1 cm and a diameter of about +420%.

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A short thick place appears as a very small fault and covers the length of 1–4 cm with a diameter range of
+150% to +400%.

Long thick places have a diameter range of about +50% to +200% with a length of 8–38 cm.

Double yarn is also produced by doubling the material at any stage during yarn manufacturing as a doubling
of roving or sliver. This fault is known as a double yarn.

A long thin place and a long single yarn are also produced. A long single yarn is the yarn whose diameter is
half of the main yarn. The cross-section of the thin yarn is –30%, –45%, and –75%.

Yarn slub test:

Slub yarn or fancy yarn have a variety of applications in textiles. All the slubs are calculated on the base of
the reference level, which is on the level of the base yarn. The mass increase is the amount of mass that is
increased from the base level/reference level, which is 0%. The maximum length of the slub at the bottom is
named the slub length and the distance between the two consecutive slubs is known as the slub distance.
The ratio T/P (top length to bottom length) is also a very importance factor and it tells us about the steepness
of the slubs present in the yarn. We can produced a fancy yarn with two or more populations, this means
that there are at least two different slub sizes regarding for example different mass increases or slub lengths
or a combination of both in a slub yarn. A mass decrease of a slub is an important quality parameter
because mass decrease before and after a slub produces weak places in the yarn, so it is very important to
maintain the setting of the spinning machine or the slub yarn device. The count of the fancy yarn is normally
given as the overall nominal count that describes the weight per unit length. It is also possible to describe the
base yarn count and slub count separately. A yarn slub test is performed by the USTER Tester 5 and works
on the capacitive principle in which the diameter of the yarn passing through the dielectric plates is
determined by the change in the capacitance.

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