Effect of Steel Cord Tension During the Lapping on Steel Cord Straightness After Lapping

One of the variable parameters in steel cord twisting technologies is the steel cord tension before final reel. Changing this parameter is used to produce steel cord with high quality of straightness. Steel cord straightness is the most important technological parameter after tensile strength. It is simple to change the value of steel cord tension with special mechanisms or devices in composition of cable machines and twisting machines. It is very important to know the measures of tension setting. Low tension causes bad quality of steel cord and defects. High tension may brake steel cord during the twisting and lapping. Also high tension may change the mechanical properties of steel wire in the steel cord construction. The influence of steel cord tension in the range from 9 N to 30 N on active equivalent stresses in wire cross section and macro displacements of wire contact points in steel cord construction was shown. Effect of steel cord tension during the lapping on steel cord straightness after lapping was shown. In this research the optimal tension for producing steel cord 2x0.30HT was defined with numerical simulation, finite element analysis and criteria method. The optimal value of tension for other steel cord constructions will change, because of number of wires and its hardness.