Open Access

ARTICLE

A 3D Numerical Model for a Flexible Fiber Motion in Compressible Swirling Airflow

Hui-Fen Guo^1,2, Bin-Gang Xu^1,3

1 Institute of Textiles and Clothing, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
2 College of Textile, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
3 Corresponding author, E-mail: tcxubg@inet.polyu.edu.hk

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2010, 61(3), 201-222. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2010.061.201

Abstract

A numerical method is developed for modeling the dynamics of a flexible fiber immersed in a compressible swirling flow. The modeling approach is based on combining an Eulerian finite volume formulation for the fluid flow and a Lagrangian small-deformation formulation for the dynamics of the fiber. The fiber is modeled as a chain of beads connected through mass-less rods. The bending and twisting deformation of the fiber are represented by the displacements of the successive beads. A computational strategy is proposed for the computation of the fluid parameters at the center of discrete fiber sections. To deal with the fiber-wall interaction, a wall model is also developed. The new algorithm was verified against the experimental observations using high-speed photography. The proposed model has also been applied in a textile process to simulate the fiber motions in the two nozzles (i.e., cylindrical and diverged conical tubes, respectively) of an air-jet spinning machine, and consequently, the principle of the air-jet yarn formation can be demonstrated.

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Keywords

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