Method for measuring yarn shrinkage and crimp development

Claim 1

In a method for measuring continuously shrinkage and crimp development in yarns which develop crimp upon heating under low tension and wherein the yarn is advanced by driven rolls from a yarn source to a first tension zone, through a heating zone to a second tension zone and then through an elongation zone, whereby shrinkage and crimp development are determined in a measuring system from ratios of driven roll speeds; the improvement comprising: advancing said yarn downwardly in a free-hanging loop as it passes from said source to said first tension zone while maintaining zero tension in the yarn of said loop by noncontacting means sensing the length of the free-hanging loop and in turn controlling the speed of the driven rolls near the yarn source whereby tension differences in the yarn due to removing the yarn from the source are isolated from the measuring system, passing the yarn downward through said heating zone into a second free-hanging loop while maintaining zero tension in the yarn in said second loop by a second noncontacting means sensing the length of the second free-hanging loop and in turn controlling the speed of driven rolls in the second tension zone whereby the yarn is able to retract completely prior to entering the elongation zone, and cooling the yarn while passing upward to the second tension zone.