Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 September 2008
A mathematical model for the hydrodynamic flow and fibre deflections in a wet-spinning process is presented. The model is characterized by two parameters: α which is a characteristic ratio of the hydrodynamic force to the tension force acting on a fibre, and β which is a characteristic ratio of the fibre drag to the fluid inertia. The model is applied to three situations: (i) the spin bath of the process where α ≪ 1 and β ≫ 1, (ii) the preheat bath where α is order 1 and β ≫ 1, (iii) a fibre spreading process where α is order 1 and β is order 1 or smaller. In each case, analytical results are obtained for the fluid flow and fibre deflections and compared with experiment.