Modeling and computer simulation of zero speed splice unwinds

Abstract

A computer program for conducting model simulations for zero speed splice unwinds is described in this paper. A typical unwind system consisting of the unwinding material roll, festoon, dancer, and pull rolls is considered. The developed computer model is general enough to be applicable to a variety of unwinds containing these components. The paper also provides a procedure for determining zero speed splicing parameters when the characteristics of the festoon and the splicer, such as number of carriage rollers, festoon capacity, clamp and dwell time, etc., are given; this method can be employed for the selection of splicing parameters, such as acceleration and deceleration profiles, splice diameter, spindle speed profiles, etc. The computer model can predict the transport behavior of webs through the unwinds; this was verified by comparing data from model simulations and experiments on a production unwind. The computer program can be used to evaluate different scenarios of unwind operation prior to actual implementation on production unwinds. Thus, providing a significant benefit in terms of operational efficiency as well as improved process capability.