Tungsten Spinning Ring Surface for High-Speed Traveler Wear Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ring-spinning and twisting machines face limitations in increasing the speed of ring travelers due to high friction and temperature, leading to wear and damage, despite advancements in materials and coatings, which have not significantly improved operational speeds beyond 50 m/s.
Innovation Solution
Employing a spinning ring with a tungsten sintered material for the ring crown and a high-speed steel ring traveler, optimized for improved thermal conductivity, hardness, and reduced wear, along with a self-lubricating effect to enhance the speed threshold of the ring traveler.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the ring traveler rotation speed is increased to improve productivity, then production efficiency increases, but the friction and temperature at the contact surfaces increase leading to wear and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining tungsten sintered material (providing high thermal conductivity and hardness) with a nickel-phosphorus coating (providing low friction and wear resistance). This composite structure allows the ring crown to withstand higher rotation speeds while maintaining reliability, as the tungsten base material dissipates heat effectively and the coating reduces friction and wear at the contact surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters of the ring crown by using tungsten sintered material with specific properties (thermal conductivity of 180 W/mK, hardness of 450 HV) and applying a nickel-phosphorus coating with controlled composition (9-11% phosphorus). These parameter changes enable the system to operate at higher speeds by improving heat dissipation and reducing friction, thereby increasing productivity without sacrificing reliability.
2Reliability
If harder coatings are applied to the spinning ring to reduce wear, then the wear resistance of the ring improves, but the ring traveler wears faster due to increased friction and temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the hardness parameter by using tungsten sintered material with a hardness of 450 HV, which is hard enough to resist wear but not excessively hard to cause damage to the ring traveler. Additionally, the nickel-phosphorus coating with 9-11% phosphorus content provides optimal friction characteristics that reduce wear on both components while maintaining the ring's wear resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of high friction and temperature into a benefit by using the friction-generated heat to activate the self-lubricating properties of the nickel-phosphorus coating. The coating's controlled composition allows it to form a low-friction surface that reduces wear on both the ring and traveler, transforming the harmful thermal effects into a beneficial lubrication mechanism.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The combination of tungsten sintered material and high-speed steel ring traveler achieves a speed increase of over 20% in ring traveler rotation, extending the operational limits and reducing wear, thereby enhancing production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The tungsten grains have a high thermal conductivity of approximately 180 W/mK, which is virtually equivalent to double that of conventional materials and coatings. The increased thermal conductivity leads to improved heat dissipation, and thus to an increase in the cooling of the spinning ring surface.
Implementation Method 2
During operation, the friction surfaces between the spinning ring and the ring traveler heat up, and accordingly so does the thread. The rapid rotation of the ring traveler on the spinning ring can result in local temperatures of over 400° C.
Implementation Method 3
If the tungsten sintered material is subjected to dry friction, tungsten oxide is formed, which is powdery, soft, easily melted and has a weak adhesion to the base material. This results in a self-lubricating effect that contributes to improving the sliding properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A spinning ring for a ring-spinning or ring-twisting machine includes a web and a ring crown, the ring crown having a contact surface along which a ring traveler slides in operation of the ring-spinning or ring-twisting machine. At least the contact surface of the ring crown formed of a tungsten sintered material having at least 90% tungsten. A ring/traveler system using the spinning ring includes a ring traveler made of a wire made of high-speed steel (HSS) having a minimum hardness of 60 HRC.