A carbon fiber manufacturing method includes joining first and second target fiber bundles with a joining fiber bundle, and carbonizing the joined bundles by feeding them through one or more carbonization furnaces. The joining includes forming an overlap between a first end of the joining fiber bundle and a second end of the first target fiber bundle and jetting a fluid to the overlap to form a first entangled portion, and forming an overlap between a second end of the joining fiber bundle and a first end of the second target fiber bundle and jetting a fluid to the overlap to form a second entangled portion. When the first and second entangled portions each have two or more entangling points with a tensile strength not less than 400 N, the relationship defined by the inequality is satisfied: 40>{L2/(L2A)}(S+13), where L2 is a length (mm) of an elongation section inside a first carbonization furnace upstream in a feeding direction of the fiber bundles, A is a maximum distance (mm) between an entangling point in the first entangled portion and an entangling point in the second entangled portion, and S is an elongation (%) of the joined fiber bundles fed through the carbonization furnace.

A fiber bundle which has a pieced part formed by jetting a pressurized fluid against a fiber-bundle overlap is formed either by directly superposing the ending part of a fiber bundle composed of many fibers on the beginning part of another fiber bundle composed of many fibers or by superposing the end part and the beginning part on a jointing fiber bundle composed of many fibers, whereby the many fibers of the fiber bundles are interlaced with one another to thereby piece up the fiber bundles. The pieced part comprises an opened-fiber part in which the fibers have been opened and interlaced-fiber parts respectively located on both sides thereof, each interlaced-fiber part being composed of a plurality of constituent interlaced parts located apart in the width direction for the fiber bundle.

With a method for controlling a piecing process for piecing up a yarn at a textile machine, in particular a spinning machine, by means of a piecing device, a multiple number of work steps as preparation for the actual piecing operation are carried out successively in a chronological sequence. In each case, a predetermined time period is allocated to the work steps. For at least one of the work steps, the predetermined time period can be varied, whereas the current time period of the work step is determined as a function of a yarn characteristic of the currently produced yarn and/or as a function of a utilization of the piecing device. A control unit is designed to operate the textile machine according to this method.

With a method for controlling a setting process for re-setting a yarn (G) at a textile machine, in particular a spinning machine (1), by means of a setting device (5), a multiple number of work steps as preparation for the actual setting operation are carried out successively in a chronological sequence. In each case, a predetermined time period is allocated to the work steps within which the respective work step is carried out. For at least one of the work steps, the predetermined time period can be varied, whereas the current time period of the at least one work step is determined as a function of a yarn characteristic (GC) of the currently produced yarn (G and/or as a function of a utilization of the setting device (5). A textile machine features a control unit (12), which is designed to operate the textile machine according to this method.

A fibre splicer (1) is disclosed that includes a splicing chamber (2) for receiving fibres to be spliced having an opening of in a side thereof, a chamber pad (3) for selectively sealing the opening of the splicing chamber (2) and a valve (9). The valve (9) has an unobstructed fluid pathway there-through, the valve (9) extending from the chamber (2) and being reconfigurable between a first configuration prohibiting fluid flow along the pathway and a second configuration permitting fluid flow along the pathway.

An entanglement apparatus includes a controller and a nozzle rotatably mounted for rotation about a nozzle axis. An entanglement section is coupled to a fluid supply and defines openings positionable to face overlapped ends of the fiber tows. At least one of the openings extends along an angled direction relative to the nozzle axis to create adjacent or overlapping fluid distribution paths, and two or more of which are disposed in irregular intervals along the entanglement section and relative to another two or more of the paths. The controller regulates a preselected property of the fluid supply, including a rotation characteristic of the nozzle to randomize the paths. The apparatus directs the fluid through the openings and along the paths toward the overlapped ends of the fiber tows while the nozzle is rotating about the nozzle axis and while the fiber tows, other than their overlapped ends, are maintained stationary.