Design and modeling of an electromagnetic launcher for weft insertion system

An electromagnetic launcher can be used as an accelerator for yarn attached to a ferromagnetic projectile. As a result, yarn endures a specific amount of tension. In addition to the yarn variables and the type of weft insertion system, the parameters of the weft yarn accelerator strongly affect the weft yarn velocity, its tension, and consequently the fabric quality. An applicable model that can represent the relationship between input and output parameters of this weft insertion system is very useful for predicting the strike of the projectile. Therefore, in this research a 3D imitating launching model was developed by the finite element method. A coil electromagnetic launcher was employed. An experimental methodology using an image-processing technique was also utilized to measure the projectile velocity. Numerical results were compared with experimental results to verify the numerical procedure. A validated model can be a reliable tool to investigate the effects of many process parameters on the strike of the projectile and to optimize them. Therefore, the system parameters can be scientifically defined by this model to insert a weft yarn.