Evaluating liquor flow profiles in fabric beam dyeing

The most important goal to a dyer is to evenly apply the dye to the fabric. Unlike jet dyeing when both the fabric and the dye liquor move, beam dyeing involves only dye liquor movement. A higher risk of unlevelness caused by a lack of understanding and control of flow through a beam has deterred many dyers from taking advantage of the benefits of fabric beam dyeing. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model was used in this work to theoretically test beam winding density profiles. Beam winding parameters determine the tightness of the wind and create a specific fabric beam density and flow profile through the beam of fabric. A CFD analysis provides guidelines to improve side-center levelness and shading from the bottom to the top of the fabric beam, which can improve quality and productivity.