Linen Yarn Count Systems and Flax Fibre Moisture Regain Mechanics
Linen yarn counts and cloth weight must be verified against dry fiber mass plus standard 12 percent moisture regain to eliminate costly moisture billing errors.
Drop Wire Stop
Automated Halt
Operational pauses triggered by the mechanical detection of a thread rupture protect the cloth from structural damage. A drop wire stop occurs when a thin metal plate falls onto an electrode bar after a warp yarn loses tension or breaks. This action closes an electrical circuit that immediately disengages the loom drive.
Mechanical Process
Each individual warp thread passes through the eye of its own metal wire before reaching the heald frames. The tension of the yarn holds the wire aloft during normal operation, but a drop wire stop happens instantly the moment that tension fails. This rapid response ensures that the machine stops before the next weft insertion can lock the error into the weave.
Efficiency in a mill is often measured by the frequency of these halts per thousand picks. Operators record each instance to identify batches of yarn with low tensile strength.
Maintenance Metric
Reliability of this system depends on the weight of the wires and the cleanliness of the contact bars. If the drop wire stop is too sensitive, it may trigger on loose but unbroken yarns and reduce machine productivity. Conversely, a sluggish response can allow several centimeters of faulty fabric to be produced.
Technicians adjust the sensitivity based on the yarn count and the speed of the loom.