Exploration of micromachines to textiles: Monitoring warp tension and breaks during the formation of woven fabrics

MicroElectroMechanical Systems, or MEMS, is an emerging high technology that has proven to be very successful in several industries such as medical, automotive and ink jet industries. The technology philosophy is to integrate sensors, actuators and electronics onto a silicon Substrate (polysilicon batch) to form as small as a square millimeter micromachine at low manufacturing cost. Such advantages prompted investigating the potential applications of MEMS in textiles.; Initially, we identified possible applications of MEMS technology in spinning, weaving, knitting, fiber formation, nonwovens, testing and evaluation, and dyeing and finishing. Based on a perceived real need and large potential market for a successful device, it was decided to concentrate efforts into the development of a MEMS based detection device to monitor warp tension and end breaks in weaving. Thus replacing the abrasive and passive traditional drop wire with gentle and active device that has the potential to expand the markets for weavers.; A prototype device (sensors, software and hardware) to monitor warp tension and break was designed and built. Descriptions of the device components along with weaving specifics are given. To demonstrate the benefits of the device, several experiments were conducted. The experiments along with their results are reported. The experiments include: (1) Simultaneously monitor tension of eight individual warp ends in real time; (2) Identify complex weave patterns through matching tension fingerprint with weave floats and intersections; (3) Detect yarn tension trends while weaving; (4) Quantify variations of warp tension across beam width; (5) Identify variations of warp tension at the warp sheet edges; (6) Monitor the behavior of the warp let-off mechanism; (7) Detect broken warp yarns; (8) Assess warp yam damage caused by using drop wires.; Based on the results of these experiments, it can be concluded that monitoring individual warp yarn tension could provide a useful mean for woven fabric producers as well as weaving machine manufacturers.