Improving Web Transport Dynamics in Application and Manufacturing Environments

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9622258 Wickert Webs are flat continuous strips of thin materials like paper, cloth, plastic, sheet metal, or magnetic tape, that are transported during manufacture or use at high speed and under tension. While the material that comprises the web may vary, high speeds and precise control are common goals for web handling systems. This project will investigate two technical problems that limit the performance of web transport systems. First is air entrapment that occurs when winding a web onto a spool. The second performance limiting problem is mechanical wrinkling caused by misalignment of the guides in a web transport system. The experimental part of the research uses a non-contact laser interferometer system to measure web vibration at high speeds, transient vibrations during spooling, and the unstable response of the web at the onset of wrinkling. Complementing this experimental work will be development of a dynamic model of the web that will include coupling between the elastic deformation and pressure cause by entrapped air, and the non-uniform in plane stresses caused by guide misalignment. Increased fundamental understanding of web transport dynamics is one of the contributions of this research. In addition, these results will lead to solutions to the air entrapment and wrinkling problem, increasing the stability and performance of web handling systems.