The yarn tension and balloon form are the most important physical process parameters to characterize the dynamic yarn path in ring spinning. The present research work focuses on the in situ measurement of yarn tension in different regions of the yarn path in a developed turbo ring spinning tester with a friction-free superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) twisting system and at an angular spindle speed of up to 50,000 rpm. The influence of different parameters, such as angular spindle speeds (15,000–50,000 rpm), yarn counts (15–40 tex) and balloon control ring (one or multiple), were evaluated to identify the influence of acting forces, for example, centrifugal forces. The effects of these process parameters were analyzed statistically using an analysis of variance. The yarn tension between the delivery rollers and the yarn guide was measured using a modified one-roller tensile yarn tension sensor. The yarn tension between the yarn guide and the SMB system was determined with an already existing optical approach at a higher angular spindle speed. As the highest yarn tension theoretically occurs between the SMB system and the cop, it was estimated in this region by measuring the coefficient of friction between the yarn and the yarn guide using the friction module of the constant tension tester equipment. The maximum balloon diameter was determined from the recorded balloon form between the yarn guide and the SMB system with respect to different angular spindle speeds. The results provide valuable information about the highest possible spinnable speed and enable a better understanding of the dynamic yarn path in the SMB spinning system. Keywords

The new concept of a superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) system can be implemented as a twisting element instead of the existing one in a ring spinning machine, thus overcoming one of its main frictional limitations. In the SMB, a permanent magnet (PM) ring rotates freely above the superconducting ring due to the levitation forces. The revolution of the PM ring imparts twists similarly to the traveler in the existing twisting system. In this paper, the forces acting on the dynamic yarn path resulting from this new technology are investigated and described with a mathematical model. The equation of yarn movement between the delivery rollers and the PM ring is integrated with the Runge-Kutta method using MATLAB. Thus, the developed model can estimate the yarn tension and balloon form according to different spindle speeds considering the dynamic behavior of the permanent magnet of the SMB system. To validate the model, the important relevant process parameters, such as the yarn tension, are measured at different regions of the yarn path, and the balloon forms are recorded during spinning with the SMB system using a high speed camera.