Khulna University Of Engineering & Technology
KUET
SESSIONAL REPORT
Course No. TE 2102
Department of Textile Engineering
Experiment No. 03
Name of the Experiment : Study on Carding Machine
Date of performance: 19/08/2025 Name: Sudeepta Sen Deep
Date of submission : 24/08/2025 Roll: 2221033
Year: Second
Semester:First
1. Introduction:
Carding is one of the most fundamental processes in the spinning section and is often referred
to as the “heart of spinning”. It plays a vital role in transforming compressed fiber mats (lap)
into an open, clean, and uniform sliver suitable for further processes like drawing and
spinning.The carding machine performs multiple actions simultaneously:
• Opening the fibers into individual form.
• Cleaning by removing impurities, short fibers, and neps.
• Straightening and parallelizing fibers.
• Converting the web into sliver form suitable for further processing.
• Removing impurities such as dust, dirt,neps and short fibers.
In the process, the fibers are not only separated but also made more or less parallel to each
other, which improves sliver quality and ensures better yarn strength. Carding also blends fibers
effectively, helping to produce consistent yarn.
In practice, especially in jute and cotton spinning, carding is performed in two stages for better
quality:
1. Breaker Card – performs the initial opening and cleaning of fibers.
2. Finisher Card – refines the output from the breaker card to produce a finer, cleaner, and more
uniform sliver.
Thus, the efficiency of both breaker and finisher cards directly influences yarn quality.
2. Objectives:
The main objectives of this study are:
1. To understand the construction, working principle, and functions of the breaker and finisher
carding machines.
2. To compare the roles of breaker card and finisher card in the carding sequence.
3. To observe the quality differences between the sliver produced in each stage.
4. To study how fibers are cleaned, straightened, and parallelized through carding.
pg. 1
3. Machine Description:
3.1 Breaker Card:
The breaker card is the first stage of carding in the spinning preparation line. It receives fiber in
the form of lap (a sheet of loosely compressed fibers) from the blowroom and carries out the
initial carding operation. This machine plays an important role in opening, cleaning, and
partially parallelizing fibers before they are passed to the finisher card for further refinement.
Functions of Breaker Card:
1. Opening: Breaks the compact lap into smaller tufts and begins the process of individualizing
fibers.
2. Cleaning: Removes heavy trash, dust, husk, and coarse impurities from fibers.
3. Straightening: Fibers are partly parallelized and laid more uniformly.
4. Sliver Formation: Delivers the fibers as a coarse sliver, which is suitable for feeding into the
finisher card.
3.1.1 Construction of Breaker Card Machine:
1. Feed Section:
Feed sheet, fluted feed roller, pin feed roller → supply raw jute uniformly
2. Carding Section:
Main cylinder → performs carding.
Workers & Strippers → open and clean fibers repeatedly.
Tin cylinders → assist transfer and remove dust.
3. Doffing Section:
Doffer → strips fiber web from cylinder.
4. Delivery Section:
Drawing press rollers, condenser, delivery rollers, roll former → condense web into sliver and
coil it into cans.
pg. 2
3.1.2 Working Principle Of Breaker Card Machine:
1. Feeding of jute/cotton:
The jute/cotton lap or sheet is fed onto the feed sheet. The feed roller (fluted feed roller + pin
feed roller) grips and feeds the fibers gradually into the machine.
2. Opening by Cylinder: The fibers are carried forward and immediately engaged by the large
cylinder covered with card clothing. The cylinder rotates at high speed and opens the
jute/cotton lap into smaller tufts.
3. Action of Workers and Strippers:
Around the cylinder, several workers and strippers are arranged alternately. Workers pick fibers
from the cylinder surface, helping in more opening and cleaning. Strippers return fibers back to
the cylinder to ensure continuous action. This back-and-forth movement enhances cleaning and
partial fiber parallelization.
4. Cleaning by Tin Cylinder & Other Rollers:
Tin cylinders help in transferring fibers and removing dust, trash, and impurities from the
material. Additional cleaning occurs as fibers pass between different rollers
5. Transfer to Doffer:
After sufficient carding, fibers are transferred from the main cylinder to the doffer. The doffer
strips the web of fibers from the cylinder surface and delivers it forward.
6. Condensation into Sliver:
The fiber web from the doffer passes through a set of drawing rollers and delivery press rollers.
The condenser helps condense the thin web into a rope-like sliver.
7. Sliver Delivery and Coiling:
Finally, the delivery rollers and roll former compress the sliver and coil it into a can for further
processing.
Summary of Working
Raw jute lap → fed by feed rollers → opened by cylinder → carding action between workers &
strippers → impurities removed by tin cylinders → fibers collected by doffer → condensed into
sliver → delivered and coiled.
pg. 3
3.1.3 Output Characteristics Of Breaker Card Machine:
The sliver from the breaker card is coarse, bulkier, and less uniform.
It still contains some fine impurities and neps, which are removed in the next stage (finisher
card).
However, the breaker card sliver is clean enough for safe processing in the finisher card.
3.2 Finisher Card Machine:
The finisher card is the second stage of carding. It processes the coarse sliver from the breaker
card and improves its quality. The main function of the finisher card is to further open, clean,
individualize, and parallelize the fibers, while removing the remaining neps, short fibers, and
fine impurities. It is constructed similarly to the breaker card, with feed rollers, cylinder,
workers, strippers, doffer, and delivery system, but with closer settings and finer wire clothing
for more accurate cleaning and better fiber alignment. The output sliver from the finisher card is
finer, stronger, and more uniform, making it suitable for the next stage of spinning preparation
(drawing and roving). Thus, the finisher card ensures yarn of better quality by refining the
breaker card sliver.
pg. 4
3.2.1 Construction of Finisher Card Machine:
1. Feed Section:
Feed apron, feed rollers, feed stripper → supply the breaker card sliver sheet into the machine.
2. Carding Section:
Main cylinder → performs the main carding action.
Workers & Strippers (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th sets) → repeatedly open, clean, and parallelize fibers.
3. Doffing Section:
Top doffer & Bottom doffer → strip the carded web from the cylinder.
4. Delivery Section:
Delivery rollers & condenser → condense the web into sliver.
Roll former → coils the sliver into cans.
3.2.2 Working Principle of Finisher Card Machine:
The Finisher Card performs the final carding operation, aligning and cleaning fibers to prepare
them for drawing. Here's how the material passes and is processed through the machine:
1. Feeding the Material
• Feed Apron: The fibers are fed into the machine via a feed apron, which ensures a
uniform and controlled feed of the fiber lap.
• Feed Roller: Works with the feed apron to push the material into the carding zone.
2. Main Carding Action
• Cylinder: The central and largest part of the machine rotates and carries the fibers
forward. It is covered with carding wire to tease apart, open, and straighten the fibers.
• Worker and Stripper Rollers:
o Arranged in 4 pairs (1st to 4th).
o Workers: Rotate slower than the cylinder and pick up fibers from it.
o Strippers: Rotate faster than the workers and return the fibers back to the
cylinder.
pg. 5
o This action helps to thoroughly open and clean the fibers, removing short fibers
and impurities.
3. Fiber Collection
• Top Doffer and Bottom Doffer: After carding, the cylinder transfers the cleaned and
aligned fibers to the doffers. Doffers collect the fiber web from the cylinder.
• Condenser: Converts the fiber web into a sliver or condensed form.
4. Delivery
• Delivery Rollers: Deliver the condensed sliver to the roll former.
• Roll Former: Forms the final fiber sliver roll which will be sent for further processing (like
drawing and roving).
Summary of Material Flow:
Feed Apron → Feed Roller → Cylinder → Worker/Stripper Pairs → Doffers → Condenser →
Delivery Rollers → Roll Former
pg. 6
3.2.3 Finisher Card Machine Output Characteristics:
• Well-parallelized fibers
• Cleaner sliver with fewer neps and impurities
• Uniform web/sliver with consistent linear density
• Lower short fiber content
• Better fiber individualization
• Smooth and soft sliver suitable for drawing
• Improved sliver regularity and quality
4.0 Importance of Carding:
1. Fiber Opening and Cleaning
o Opens up fiber tufts and removes impurities like dust, seeds, and short fibers.
2. Fiber Individualization
o Separates fibers from clumps, making them single and free.
3. Fiber Parallelization
o Aligns fibers in the same direction, improving yarn strength and uniformity.
4. Removal of Neps and Short Fibers
o Eliminates defects that affect yarn smoothness and appearance.
5. Formation of Uniform Sliver
o Converts opened and cleaned fibers into a continuous sliver with consistent
thickness.
6. Blending and Mixing
o Helps mix different types or batches of fibers for uniform quality.
7. Preparation for Drawing
o Prepares fibers for the next stage (drawing frame) by ensuring sliver regularity.
pg. 7
5. Conclusion:
The study of breaker and finisher carding machines shows that carding is a vital process in
spinning preparation. The breaker card converts fiber lap into a coarse sliver by opening and
removing major impurities, while the finisher card refines it into a uniform and cleaner sliver.
The quality of yarn ultimately depends on effective carding, justifying its title as the “heart of
spinning.”
pg. 8
