The carding and cleaning action of flats on a cotton card was analyzed by feeding cotton lap to a card equipped with stationary flats located at different places. The amount of flat strip depositing on flats was investigated in relation to the operating time, the location of the flat, and different components of flat strip.
The weight of flat strip and longer fibers depositing on a flat increased with the number of fiber tufts contained in cotton lap. At first, flat strip accumulated very rapidly on a flat, but later the rate of accumulation suddenly declines. The rate of trash deposition on flat depends much on the trash content of the passing fibers, but it did not decrease with time. The rate of short fiber deposition was between the rate for longer fibers and the rate for trash.
It was predicted from these findings that the speed of moving flats affected the weight of flat strip but did not affect the weight of trash depositing. As a result, an increse in the moving speed of flats does not improve cleaning action, although it increasaes wastes. It was also expected that the opening of fibers in the lickerin part reduced the weight of flat strip. These predictions were proved correct by experimental data.
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